Advances in the treatment of soft-tissue sarcomas.

Over 8000 newly diagnosed cases of sarcoma will occur in the United States this year. The family practitioner will encounter many soft-tissue masses, and the great majority of such masses will be benign. The clinician should maintain a high index of suspicion for lesions 5 cm or larger. Tissue diagnosis as well as accurate staging are important for optimal management. Limb salvage and improved prognosis are possible with the use of multimodality techniques. The goal in the overall management of soft-tissue sarcomas is a curative, yet functional, outcome. Adjuvant brachytherapy may be advantageous for patients who require but who are unable to receive daily external beam radiation. Treatment options, including some with targeted molecular therapies, are in the forefront of ongoing research.