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Do you routinely treat postoperative extremity soft tissue sarcoma with IMRT?

If so, how to you address the scar? Do you use bolus? Do you place a 2mm retraction from skin for the target contour?
2 Answers
Mednet Member
Radiation Oncology · Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center
Answered on

Historical tidbit: In the early days of IMRT, and I'm talking like ~2000-2003, there were actually approved diagnosis codes for IMRT (oropharynx was allowed e.g.). There were likewise codes that were exclusionary for IMRT (I remember breast and gastric cancer e.g. being disallowed early on). Soft tissue sarcoma was an allowable IMRT dx code. I always thought that was interesting, because as far as I knew at that time there wasn't much IMRT data for extremity sarcoma around 2000. But somewhere so...

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Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Radiation Oncology · Varian Medical Systems/Allegheny health network
Answered on

We treat STS with IMRT, especially if we are able to spare bone better to decrease the risk of fracture. We do include the scar and drain site in the initial 50 Gy volume and use bolus at the scar to ensure adequate dosimetry. In an area away from the scar and subcutaneous tissue at risk, we retract the PTV from skin for IMRT planning.

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