Combination of Cisplatin, Ifosfamide, and Adriamycin as Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Report of Twenty-Eight Patients

To investigate the clinical efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of extremity soft tissue sarcomas (STSs). We retrospectively analyzed 28 patients with extremity STS that received 2 cycles of preoperative and 6 cycles of postoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy between May 2009 and June 2012. Chemotherapy comprised intravenous cisplatin (DDP) (120 mg/m(2), for 1 day), followed 1 week later with 5 days 2 g/m(2) ifosfamide (IFO) and 3 days 30 mg/m(2) adriamycin (ADM). CT scans of the lungs and X-ray films of the lesion sites were reviewed. Eighteen patients were treated for primary tumor and 10 for tumor recurrence. Overall tumor diameter ranged from 8 to 30 cm based on body surface measurement. A total of 224 cycles of chemotherapy were carried out and patients were followed up for 12 to 59 months. Twenty-five patients underwent wide resection surgery (89.2%), and 3 underwent amputation (10.7%). Disease-free survival was realized in 20 patients and 3 patients survived with tumors. Two-year disease-free survival rate was 71.4%, and overall 2-year survival rate was 82.1%. Postoperative metastases were observed in 5 patients, and all died of lung metastases. Postoperative recurrence was observed in 4 patients (including 1 patient occurred metastases later). Tumor size was reduced by 30% ± 11.3% on average after the preoperative chemotherapy, and was reduced by 43% ± 7.8% in 22 patients with tumors >15 cm in the diameter. Twelve patients achieved partial remission, 14 stable disease and 2 experienced progressive disease. Objective response rate was 42.9%. Disease control rate was 92.9%. Chemotherapy was well tolerated in all the patients. Main adverse reactions were transient and resolved after chemotherapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is effective in the treatment of extremity STS.