Treatment of adult soft tissue sarcoma: old concepts, new insights, and potential for drug discovery.

Overview

Soft tissue sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal tumors that vary in their behavior as well as treatment. Certain histologic subtypes predict for response to particular chemotherapy drugs, while molecular genetics not only increasingly aid in the diagnosis but also has an emerging role in the identification of potential targets for drug therapy. Herein we review the varying soft tissue sarcoma subtypes, their staging, and management. Furthermore, improvement in the understanding of novel mechanisms involved in soft tissue sarcomas lends insight into the compelling role of the use of newer agents with promising results that are discussed.