Editorial
Copyright ©2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jan 15, 2010; 2(1): 1-4
Published online Jan 15, 2010. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v2.i1.1
Target therapy in gastrointestinal tract sarcoma: What is new?
Bruno Vincenzi, Anna Maria Frezza, Daniele Santini, Giuseppe Tonini
Bruno Vincenzi, Anna Maria Frezza, Daniele Santini, Giuseppe Tonini, Department of Medical Oncology, University Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy
Author contributions: Vincenzi B, Frezza AM, Santini D and Tonini G contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Bruno Vincenzi, MD, PhD, Department of Medical Oncology, University Campus Bio-Medico, Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy. brunovincenzi@hotmail.com
Telephone: +39-6-225411123 Fax: +39-6-225411208
Received: December 12, 2008
Revised: July 25, 2009
Accepted: August 2, 2009
Published online: January 15, 2010
Abstract

Soft tissue sarcoma are rare tumors arising mostly from embryonic mesoderm, that can affect almost any part of the human body, including the gastrointestinal tract. The prognosis associated with soft tissue sarcoma is still poor, mainly because of the low efficacy of traditional approaches based on surgery and chemotherapy. As a result of genetic and molecular analysis, several new target therapies have been developed, leading to a significant improvement in the survival of patients affected by advanced disease. In this review we aim to explore the therapeutic potential and benefit of target therapy in the management of gastrointestinal soft tissue sarcoma and the possible complications or pitfalls of such an approach.

Keywords: Soft tissue sarcoma; Target therapy; Angiogenesis