A multicenter national research study to evaluate use of presurgical, image-guided radiation therapy for soft tissue sarcomas, a type of cancerous tumor, is being led by Dian Wang, M.D., Ph.D., a Medical College of Wisconsin radiation oncologist at Froedtert Hospital.

This Radiation Therapy Oncology Group study will enroll approximately 102 adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma of the arm or leg. Half of these participants will receive presurgical chemotherapy in addition to image-guided radiation therapy, based on an individual, preliminary decision made with their physician.

When treated with surgery alone, many soft-tissue sarcomas have a high risk of recurrence. Radiation therapy is frequently used in addition to surgery to reduce chances of recurrence. However, radiation can have long-term side effects on normal tissues surrounding the tumor, such as swelling, scarring and joint stiffness.

Recently, there have been advances in the way that radiation can be delivered, including the ability to precisely locate the tumor using image guided radiation therapy ( IGRT)…