"This prospective, single-institution Phase I/II clinical trial investigates the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of preoperative carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) for patients with resectable soft tissue sarcoma. Given the radioresistant nature of sarcomas and the limitations of photon-based preoperative radiotherapy-particularly high wound complication rates-CIRT is expected to enhance local tumor control while minimizing treatment-related toxicity and surgical morbidity.
The trial consists of an initial dose-escalation phase (phase 1) to identify an optimal and tolerable dose level, followed by an expansion phase (phase 2) assessing the feasibility of completing both CIRT and surgery without major wound complications. CIRT is delivered in eight fractions over two weeks, with surgery planned 6-8 weeks after radiotherapy.
Primary endpoints include the incidence of grade 3-5 post-operative wound complications within 120 days and overall treatment completion. Secondary endpoints include pathological response, surgical outcomes, local control, progression-free survival, overall survival, and patient-reported quality of life. All participants will be followed for at least 12 months postoperatively to evaluate safety and long-term outcomes.