Chemotherapy involves administering drugs that kill cancer cells or stop cancer cells from growing.

Chemotherapy is necessary for high-grade osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. In these patients the chemotherapy is typically given prior to surgery, with additional chemotherapy after surgery.

Patients with other forms of sarcoma may benefit from chemotherapy depending on the diagnosis, stage, and health of the patient.

Your doctor may use systemic therapy, which is administered to the whole body by pill or injection, or regional chemotherapy, which is administered to only a certain part of the body by placing it into the cerebrospinal fluid, the abdomen, or an organ such as the liver.

The type of chemotherapy administered depends on the grade and type of tumor.

New chemotherapy agents are also being explored in novel clinical trials at Duke in bone and soft tissue sarcomas.

Appointments

To make an appointment or refer a patient to the multidisciplinary sarcoma team at the Duke Cancer Institute, call 919-613-5550 or 877-SARC DUKE (877-727-2385).