Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Extremity or Trunk, Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors, and Retroperitoneal Sarcoma

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a heterogeneous group of tumors (Table 1) that account for approximately 1% of all adult cancer (Clark et al., 2005). There are more than 50 subtypes that are stratified by their histological appearance, presence or absence of characteristic gene translocations, or sensitivity to chemotherapy. They can be found in nearly any site in the body, but upper and lower extremity soft tissue sarcomas make up approximately 60% of all cases (Zagars et al., 2003). Soft tissue sarcomas of the trunk make up another 10% with retroperitoneal tumors comprising approximately 15% (Stoeckle et al., 2001). Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are the most common mesenchymal tumor of the gastrointestinal tract (Miettinen M & Lasota, J 2006). They can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract but are most commonly found in the stomach (60%) or small intestine (30%). Other sites are quite rare including rectum (3%), colon (1-2%), and esophagus (<1%).