Joshua M. Lawrenz, MD, a fellow in musculoskeletal oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses patient feedback of a study on preoperative 5-fraction radiation therapy for soft tissue sarcoma with immediate resection.

Results showed that the early wound complication and toxicity rate from patients with soft tissue sarcoma is of an equivalent rate to that of conventional fractionated therapy.The study cannot speak to local recurrence or local control, but results show that these patients are tolerating high fractionated radiotherapy.

The patient feedback is that it is more convenient—about 50% of the cohort lived out-of-state and had to travel to the Cleveland Clinic. Often, with conventional radiotherapy, which is 25 days over a 5 week period, patients must drive to and from the clinic. In this setting, when patients are from out-of-state it is easier for them to visit the Cleveland Clinic for 2 weeks to receive radiotherapy during week 1 and then surgery week 2 than a more travel-intensive treatment approach.

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Joshua M. Lawrenz, MD, discusses patient feedback of a study on preoperative 5-fraction radiation therapy for soft tissue sarcoma with immediate resection. 
 

Dr. Lawrenz on Patient Feedback of Preoperative 5-Fraction RT Sarcoma Study

Joshua M. Lawrenz, MD, a fellow in musculoskeletal oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses a study looking at hypofractionated radiotherapy in soft tissue sarcoma.

With soft tissue sarcoma, radiation is usually given in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting, explains Lawrenz. In the neoadjuvant setting, radiation is often given in a conventional matter at 50 Gy/25 fractions, which takes about 5 weeks to administer. After that period of radiation treatment, patients wait about 3 to 6 weeks before receiving surgical resection. In total, the treatment process means patients wait about 2 to 3 months before surgical resection occurs.

In a study at the Cleveland Clinic looking at hypofractionated radiotherapy, patients received 5 days of radiation therapy followed by immediate resection of the tumor, meaning the entire treatment is condensed from 2 to 3 months down to 2 to 3 weeks.

The 16 patients who have been treated at the Cleveland Clinic for the past 3 years received 5 fractions of radiotherapy on 5 consecutive days and underwent immediate surgical resection 0 to 7 days later. Lawrenz feels that the median follow-up of approximately 8 months was adequate time to account for wound complications and toxicity, but not long enough to account for local recurrence rates, concludes Lawrenz.

Joshua M. Lawrenz, MD, discusses a study looking at hypofractionated radiotherapy in soft tissue sarcoma.

Joshua M. Lawrenz, MD

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Dr. Lawrenz on Patient Feedback of Preoperative 5-Fraction RT Sarcoma Study

Dr. Lawrenz on Hypofractionated Radiotherapy in Soft Tissue Sarcoma