An Adequate Cost Effective Follow Up Protocol For Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Bone and soft tissue sarcomas are rare tumors, accounting for approximately 1% of all adult malignancies. The majority of bone and soft tissue sarcomas occur in the extremities. After treatment of the primary tumor, 40 % to 60% of the patients will develop local or distant recurrent disease. The ultimate determinant of survival in patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas is the development of distant metastasis. Modern multimodality therapy has improved patient survival; hence follow-up surveillance strategies are becoming increasingly important with significant clinical and fiscal implications. However, the ideal postoperative protocol vis a vis frequency and appropriate screening modalities for these uncommon neoplasms remains ill-defined. Although guidelines have been proposed for follow-up of patients , there is a paucity of data in medical literature on the effectiveness of these recommendations. A prospective randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of follow up strategies in picking up disease recurrence and their role in influencing overall survival would go a long way in answering some of these questions.