Sarcomas are cancers of the musculoskeletal system and the connective tissues.  They are rare tumours and the management is best discussed in a multidisciplinary team.  In general there are bone, soft tissue, intra-abdominal and retroperitoneal, pelvic, chest and head and neck sarcomas.  While some sarcomas may need neoadjuvant (upfront) chemotherapy, for most the treatment consists of definitive surgical resection with or without postoperative radiation (Figs 1, 2, 3 and 4).  (A compartmental resection).  The ability to achieve clear surgical margins is critical.  Sometimes preoperative radiation therapy is used to downstage the disease to facilitate surgery and also in the postoperative setting to reduce local recurrence.  Chemotherapy is used for recurrent or metastatic disease.

The prognosis is dependent on the size of the primary, the grading of the tumour, the tumour type (histological classification) and the completeness of surgical resection.