Soft Tissue Sarcomas and Bone Tumors

Sarcomas are a group of diverse, rare tumors originating in the bone and connective tissue. They comprise approximately 1% of adult malignancies and 12% of pediatric malignancies. Eighty percent of sarcomas are soft tissue sarcomas which arise in the extremities, trunk and retroperitoneum, and head and neck in order of decreasing frequency. The World Health Organization recognizes over 100 different histologies. Sarcoma treatment primarily involves a high-quality oncologic resection. Based on prognostic factors, treatment includes adjuvant or neoadjuvant treatment with radiation and/or chemotherapy. This chapter reviews the management of soft tissue and bone sarcomas, pertinent literature, and radiation therapy guidelines. Radiation oncologists most often treat soft tissue sarcomas of the extremity so a deeper focus is given to this group.