title: Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with soft tissue sarcoma by the Spanish group for research in sarcomas (GEIS).
abstract: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) constitute an uncommon and heterogeneous group of tumours, which require a complex and specialized multidisciplinary management. The diagnostic approach should include imaging studies and core needle biopsy performed prior to undertaking surgery. Wide excision is the mainstay of treatment for localized sarcoma, and associated preoperative or postoperative radiotherapy should be administered in high-risk patients. Adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a modest improvement in survival in a meta-analysis and constitutes a standard option in selected patients with high-risk STS. In metastatic patients, surgery must be evaluated in selected cases. In the rest of patients, chemotherapy and, in some subtypes, targeted therapy often used in a sequential strategy constitutes the treatment of election. Despite important advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, the advances achieved in therapeutic results may be deemed still insufficient. Moreover, due to the rarity and complexity of the disease, the results in clinical practice are not always optimal. For this reason, the Spanish Group for Research on Sarcoma (GEIS) has developed a multidisciplinary clinical practice guidelines document, with the aim of facilitating the diagnosis and treatment of these patients in Spain. In the document, each practical recommendation is accompanied by level of evidence and grade of recommendation on the basis of the available data.
authors.affiliation: Institut Català d'Oncologia L'Hospitalet, Barcelona, Spain. garciadelmuro@iconcologia.net.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Garcia del Muro
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Alava
authors.affiliation: Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Vicenç
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Artigas
authors.affiliation: Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bague
authors.affiliation: Hospital Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Braña
authors.affiliation: Hospital Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cubedo
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain.
authors.forename: Josefina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.affiliation: Institut Català d'Oncologia L'Hospitalet, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mulet-Margalef
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Narvaez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Martinez Tirado
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valverde
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ramona
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Verges
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Viñals
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martin-Broto
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Clinical practice guidelines; Multidisciplinary management; Soft tissue sarcoma; Treatment