The Importance of Surgery in Sarcoma Treatment
Dr. Raphael Pollock: There are some sarcomas for which surgery clearly plays a key role. It might even be thought of as the first line of defense. Among those, probably tumors in the retroperitoneum, specifically well-differentiated liposarcomas, tend to be optimally managed by effective surgery, particularly effective surgery performed by a knowledgeable surgeon in the disease.
Stepping back from that specific example, most sarcomas require surgery as part of the multi-disciplinary treatment. There are precious few that will be cured without the use of surgery, with concomitant radiation therapy and perhaps chemotherapy, depending on staging considerations.