Wound Healing Complications after Neoadjuvant Radiotherapy Combined with Targeted Therapies in Soft Tissue Sarcoma Patients

Abstract

Introduction/objective: Significant advancements have been achieved with the use of targeted molecular therapies for the treatment of Soft Tissue Sarcomas (STS). However, data remains scarce about the potential benefits and toxicity of this therapeutic option. In this narrative review, we aim to better clarify the potential wound healing complications in STS patients undergoing neoadjuvant (NA) radiotherapy (RT), combined with targeted therapies.

Methods: We used the PubMed database to retrieve journal articles and the inclusion criteria were all studies that illustrated the potential RT toxicity, combined with targeted therapies, in the NA setting of STS patients.

Results: Our search resulted in seven studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Delayed wound complication rates were observed similarly to RT alone, while one study reported intolerable toxicity without referring specifically to wound complications.

Conclusion: The combination of RT with targeted therapies in STS seems to be effective and well tolerated. Due to the lack of studies with high level of evidence, further research is required to enhance the existing knowledge for its potential value in this field.

Keywords: neoadjuvant treatment; radiotherapy; soft tissue sarcomas; targeted therapy; wound complications; wound healing.