Metrics details. The results of the SMFA were compared with those from a reference group of healthy individuals.
With regard to long-term survival, we found no time-dependent deterioration in QoL for longer time intervals after treatment. These results support the use of TM-ILP in limb-sparing multimodal therapy settings from a quality-of-life perspective, but they also encourage further research on this matter. The fundamental underlying question is the extent to which QoL is ultimately affected by the treatment of the tumor [ 1 ]. For the treatment of soft-tissue and bone sarcoma of the extremities, this aspect becomes essential with respect to determining whether to pursue limb salvage or to select an amputation.
One of these treatment modalities is TM-ILP TNF-melphalan-based isolated limb perfusion , which has developed into a successful treatment option for primarily non-resectable soft-tissue sarcoma of the extremities. A number of QoL studies have focused on sarcoma patients. Some of these studies consider sarcoma subgroups, such as patients with metastasized disease [ 13 ], certain surgical techniques [ 14 ], different body regions [ 15 , 16 ], or different radiotherapy regimens [ 17 ].
Tang et al. They concluded that extremity function, social function, and pain in sarcoma survivors were worse than in the general population [ 19 β 21 ].
On the other hand, several studies showed that patients who underwent amputation instead of limb-sparing surgery had a worse functional outcome [ 19 β 23 ]. Thijssens et al. Patients were recruited for this retrospective QoL survey between April and December during their follow-up appointments at our outpatient clinic. Figure 1 shows a flow chart of the patient selection process.
