Surgical resection of pulmonary metastases and chemotherapy are treatment options that have been employed, but many patients are poor candidates for these treatments for multiple host or tumor-related reasons. In this group of patients, radiation might provide a less morbid treatment alternative. Furthermore, many older patients, as a result of various tumor- or comorbidity-related issues, are deemed poor candidates for surgery or chemotherapy, according to Soft Tissue Sarcoma with Lung Metastasis Market Research
PET technology utilizes special radiation-sensitive cameras, which detect radioactive isotopes that decay by positron emission. Fluorine has been commonly used in tumor localization. [18F]-2-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is a glucose analog that accumulates in cells and thus is a convenient measure of metabolism. FDG becomes phosphorylated to FDG-6-PO4, which is preferentially trapped in tumor cells.
The imagery can be quantified by the actual number of positron emissions or by calculating a standardized uptake ratio, a value that is normalized for the patient’s body weight and injected dose. It is capable of detecting metastases by virtue of their metabolic differences from surrounding normal tissue. The utility of PET has been documented with solitary pulmonary masses; it is less well studied for multiple masses.
External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) has been shown to decrease local recurrence when used in conjunction with surgery for primary localized soft tissue sarcoma. The use of SBRT for the treatment of metastatic carcinoma to the lung has been shown to be safe and effective. Previous reports on the use of SBRT for metastatic sarcoma to the lungs exist but are limited by small patient numbers and limited long-term follow-up.
Synovial sarcoma demonstrates better response rates to conventional chemotherapy than other STS, with approximately half of the patients responding. Among the STS, synovial sarcoma is particularly sensitive to high doses of ifosfamide,