Regional Hyperthermia in Soft Tissue Sarcoma Treatment

Indications and Benefits

The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) recommends regional hyperthermia in combination with systemic chemotherapy for high-risk soft tissue sarcomas, as it improves local progression-free survival and disease-free survival in patients with high-grade, deep-seated tumors larger than 5 cm 1, 2
Regional hyperthermia is particularly indicated for non-resectable tumors 3, 4 and tumors that can only be removed through mutilating surgery 5

The standard treatment for localized soft tissue sarcomas remains surgical resection, possibly supplemented with radiotherapy 4, 6
Adjuvant chemotherapy is not standardly recommended for soft tissue sarcomas but may be considered as an option for high-risk patients 1, 6

For non-resectable tumors or those that can only be removed through mutilating surgery, available options include chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy 3, isolated hyperthermic extremity perfusion with TNFα + Melphalan (for tumors limited to extremities) 2, and regional hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy 3, 5, 4

Hyperthermia-related side effects are mostly mild to moderate and include pain, bolus pressure, and skin burns 4