Soft tissue sarcomas in childhood and adolescence

Paediatric cancer is a rare disease with specific forms and manifestations that can be successfully treated in a significant number of cases if diagnosed in time. Paediatric oncology is making rapid progress, both in terms of overall survival and in the cure rate of affected children. A rate of more than 70% of patients are completely cured. The progress achieved is due to improved diagnosis and staging of patients, advances in surgical techniques, modern chemotherapy with drug combinations, new radiotherapy techniques, advances in supportive care, changing attitudes and cooperation. However, a significant number of affected children still die from cancer. For this reason, further awareness and training of general practitioners and paediatricians is urgently needed to enable them to recognise suspicious symptoms and signs and refer the child to specialist centres, so that the diagnosis can be made in good time and the disease can be treated effectively. Soft tissue sarcomas (SMM) constitute a heterogeneous group that accounts for 65% of childhood malignancies. Although significant advances in recent years have contributed to more effective treatment of STMs, early diagnosis is of primary importance. This manual is aimed at the general practitioner and the paediatrician to provide them with the tools and specific knowledge to suspect the existence of the sarcoma in time, to guide their diagnostic thinking and to direct the young patient directly to the appropriate specialist centre.