ABSTRACT
Sarcomas encompasses a rare and heterogeneous group of solid malignant neoplasms which originate from soft tissues (84%) or bones (14%). Protons and other charged particles have the advantage of restricting the irradiated volume and improving sparing of normal tissue compared to standard photon techniques and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Evidence of the clinical benefits of particle therapy for the treatment of sarcomas, especially for long-term outcomes and their prognostic factors, is still limited. For rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and Ewing's sarcoma, data on treatment with proton beam therapy (PBT) are predominantly available, whereas carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) was introduced predominantly for osteosarcoma and chordoma (CH) and chondrosarcoma (CS). Up to now, studies on particle therapy in sarcomatous tumours were predominantly retrospectively conducted and non-randomised. Therefore, particle therapy will continue to be an important tool in the arsenal of multidisciplinary treatment concepts for difficult sarcoma cases.
