Published online Mar 26, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i9.2916
Peer-review started: October 6, 2021
First decision: December 10, 2021
Revised: December 19, 2021
Accepted: February 15, 2022
Article in press: February 15, 2022
Published online: March 26, 2022
Processing time: 167 Days and 4.6 Hours
Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is a type of soft tissue sarcoma, the histologic origin and differentiation direction of which are still unclear. There are few treatment options for UPS other than surgery. Herein we describe a patient who had multiple recurrences of UPS postoperatively, but R0 resection was achieved by local hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy, thus providing a new treatment approach for similar situations.
A 65-year-old man sought evaluation from a physician for a mass on his right back. After surgery, the pathologic diagnosis was fibrosarcoma. During the follow-up evaluations until 2021, the patient had four relapses of varying degrees. Postoperative pathology confirmed the recurrence of UPS on the right back. In March 2021, he underwent local hyperthermia combined with two cycles of chemotherapy for recurring lesions. After magnetic resonance imaging re-examination and preoperative examination, the patient chose surgery again. During the operation, the tumors were easy to excise, the amount of bleeding decreased significantly, and the pathologic evaluation confirmed that one of the specimens was an R0 excision.
Local hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy enables R0 resection to be achieved in patients with advanced UPS recurrence.
Core Tip: Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma is a type of soft tissue sarcoma, but the histologic origin and direction of differentiation are still unclear. Patients with locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic disease have a poor prognosis, and there are few treatment options available. Clinically, local hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy can be used to achieve surgical R0 resection in this type of patient.