Sarcoma treatment with limb-salvage surgery

Suppose the sarcoma is located on the arm or leg. In that case, the surgeon can remove only the tumor and partially surrounding tissue. Gentle surgery is usually used if cancer has not affected essential blood vessels or nerves. This type of surgery helps to preserve the limb itself and its functionality. With large sarcomas, removing a large volume of soft tissues and muscles, blood vessels, underlying bones, parts of the chest, and the abdominal wall may be necessary. All this is called "wide excision of the tumor within healthy tissues. "After introducing anesthesia, the surgeon steps aside from the tumor at least 1 cm, at most 5 cm, and excises the surrounding and seemingly completely normal tissues. At the same time, the doctor tries to save nearby tendons, nerves, and blood vessels. Finally, the physician leaves a sufficient volume of soft tissues, skin, and muscles to restore or reconstruct a functional limb. During the operation, the edges of the cut are necessarily examined under a microscope, and the procedure is completed if there are no cancer cells in them. Patients' tissues can be used to restore the limb's functionality. At the same time, it is possible to transplant bones, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. In addition, artificial implants, including endoprostheses, are used to reconstruct removed bones.