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Soft Tissue Sarcomas (STS)

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Practical Medical Oncology Textbook

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Abstract

Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) represent a rare and heterogeneous group of solid tumors derived from mesenchymal progenitors and account for 1% of all adult malignancies. Although in the last decade anthracycline-based chemotherapy single agent or in combination has been able to improve clinical benefits, prognosis is still poor, and STSs represent an important unmet medical need.

According to major national and international guidelines, the optimal therapeutic strategy of all soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients should be discussed within multidisciplinary teams.

A correct histopathological diagnosis is crucial, because the medical and surgical treatment depends on the different histology.

For this reason, in most cases, a biopsy reviewed by expert pathologist is needed to define the correct therapeutic procedure.

Continuous advances in cancer genetics and genomics have contributed to change management paradigms of STSs as it occurred for other solid tumors. Several treatments have been recently developed with the specific aim of targeting different cell pathways and immune-checkpoints that have been recognized to drive tumor progression.

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Badalamenti, G., Vincenzi, B., Cani, M., Incorvaia, L. (2021). Soft Tissue Sarcomas (STS). In: Russo, A., Peeters, M., Incorvaia, L., Rolfo, C. (eds) Practical Medical Oncology Textbook. UNIPA Springer Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56051-5_58

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56051-5_58

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