[Therapeutic effect of adjuvant combination chemotherapy in the treatment of 8 cases of childhood soft-tissue sarcoma].

The therapeutic results obtained in eight cases of childhood malignant soft-tissue sarcoma are summarized. Male to female ratio was 4:4, four were rhabdomyosarcoma and 5 were defined as Group I/II. Adjuvant combination chemotherapy was administered soon after biopsy (3 cases), or after partial or total resection (3 cases) of the primary tumor. In one case, irradiation was employed and in the remaining case, no further therapy was given after surgery. The three patients who underwent total removal of the tumor followed by adjuvant chemotherapy including adriamycin, and a patient with a partially resected intra-orbital tumor which responded well to a similar form of chemotherapy are currently alive after 26+ to 71+ months. By contrast, four patients whose tumors were too bulky to be resected responded poorly to chemotherapy and died. It must be emphasized that adjuvant chemotherapy is of limited value in the treatment of advanced childhood soft-tissue sarcoma.