Studies

Currently, there is no consensus about the optimal treatment for patients with high grade soft tissue sarcomas (STS) which are localized in the extremities. To ensure overall survival, there is a tendency to operate with wide resection margins, but this has a high impact on quality of life especially when limb function must be sacrificed. (Neo)adjuvant radiotherapy allows for narrower surgical margins but is associated with significant short -and long-term side-effects. As evidence on the best treatment is lacking, treatment choice for individual patients should be driven by their weighing of the benefits and harms of the treatment options in light of their personal situation. However, current treatment decision-making in STS care is one-size fits all, and not informed by individualized risks of treatment options and patients’ preferences. Consequently, there is no guarantee that patients with STS will receive treatment that is appropriate for their situation, and patients experience uncertainty about which treatment is best for their personal situation (decisional conflict). From literature it is known that decision supporting interventions contribute to a better informed choice and less decisional conflict. Therefore, our research group developed a validated personalized risk assessment tool (Personalised Sarcoma Care: PERSARC) which provides patients and STS professionals insight into the personalized risks and benefits of each treatment option based on patient’s age, tumor size, tumor depth and histology in their decision-making process. It is hypothesized that use of PERSARC leads to significantly less decisional conflict in patients and more informed decisions compared to usual care (treatment decisions without use of PERSARC) by reducing the uncertainty regarding risks and benefits of treatment options in high-grade extremity STS patients.

Patients (>= 18 years) with primarily diagnosed (histologically confirmed) grade 2-3 extremity STS, who do not have a treatment plan yet and will be treated with curative intent. Patients with sarcoma subtypes or treatment options other than those mentioned in the PERSARC app are unable to participate. Furthermore, patients need to be Dutch fluency and literacy and mentally competent.

Patient that are treated without curative intent Patient that needs to be treated with chemotherapy or isolated limb perfusion Patients were surgery is not indicated Sarcoma subtypes not mentioned in the PERSARC app

Name: Anouk Kruiswijk Email: a.a.kruiswijk@lumc.nl Phone: 0631974532

To prospectively and retrospectively collect data of patients with bone or soft tissue sarcoma in the Netherlands to improve the knowledge and therefore the treatment care. Besides to create a continuous basis for a large variety of research purposes including prognostic and predictive research, health care policies and cost-effectiveness studies.

Age ≥ 18 years Histologically proven bone or soft tissue sarcoma, excluding Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumours

Altered mental status that would prohibit the understanding of any giving of informed consent

Radboudumc Radiotherapiegroep

Name: dr. P.M. Braam E-mail: p.braam@radboudumc.nl Phone: +31-243614515 Address: Radboudumc, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 32, 6525 GA Nijmegen