Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare solid tumors of mesenchymal cell origin that display a heterogenous mix of clinical and pathologic characteristics. STS can develop from fat, muscle, nerves, blood vessels, and other connective tissues. The evaluation and treatment of patients with STS requires a multidisciplinary team with demonstrated expertise in the management of these tumors. The complete NCCN Guidelines for STS provide recommendations for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of extremity/superficial trunk/head and neck STS, as well as intra-abdominal/retroperitoneal STS, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, desmoid tumors, and rhabdomyosarcoma. This portion of the NCCN Guidelines discusses general principles for the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of STS of the extremities, superficial trunk, or head and neck; outlines treatment recommendations by disease stage; and reviews the evidence to support the guidelines recommendations.

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic low anterior resection for rectal cancer is feasible in experienced hands. This technique may facilitate minimally invasive radical rectal surgery.

The NCCN Guidelines for Soft Tissue Sarcoma provide recommendations for the diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and follow-up for patients with soft tissue sarcomas. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the panel discussion behind recent important updates to the guidelines, including the development of a separate and distinct guideline for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs); reconception of the management of desmoid tumors; inclusion of further recommendations for the diagnosis and management of extremity/body wall, head/neck sarcomas, and retroperitoneal sarcomas; modification and addition of systemic therapy regimens for sarcoma subtypes; and revision of the principles of radiation therapy for soft tissue sarcomas.

Sarcomas constitute a heterogeneous group of rare solid tumors of mesenchymal cell origin with distinct clinical and pathological features, and are usually divided into 2 broad categories: sarcomas of soft tissues (including fat, muscle, nerve and nerve sheath, blood vessels, and other connective tissues) and sarcomas of bone. Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are the most frequent sarcomas; the annual incidence in the United States for 2009 is estimated to be approximately 10,660 cases, with an overall mortality rate of approximately 3820 cases per year, including adults and children. 1 The true incidence of sarcoma is underestimated, especially because a large proportion of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) may not The NCCN