Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Motor Performance, Robotic Rehabilitation, Nutrition, and Quality of Life

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Rehabilitation: After surgery, patients will undergo a personalized rehabilitation program incorporating both conventional and robotic-based approaches. Depending on tumor location, rehabilitation will focus on either the upper or lower limbs. For lower limb rehabilitation, robotic or technological devices will be utilized for gait training with bodyweight support, as well as for balance and proprioception training. Upper limb rehabilitation will involve robotic or sensor-based devices enabling passive, active, and active-assistive movements of the shoulder, elbow, and hand. Treatment will be provided in various settings- inpatient, outpatient, or home-based- tailored to each patient's specific needs. Sessions will be conducted daily for 45 minutes, five days per week, over a two-month period.

Study summary

Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of rare and heterogeneous tumors. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment and microscopic negative margins need to be achieved to improve disease local control. We designed this prospective study to evaluate the main features of motor impairment and the impact of tailored robotic rehabilitation techniques in patients treated for localized soft tissue sarcoma (surgery alone, or surgery + radiation or radiochemotherapy). Specific patients' motor strategies will be quantitatively measured through a biomechanical assessment, including the analysis of joint kinematics, and muscle activity timing patterns. Considering the influence of motor impairment after demolitive surgery, a major interest of this study will be focused on nutrition and Quality of life which will be prospectively evaluated by specific questionnaires at different time points.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Change in patients' physical function after the rehabilitation treatment as assessed by the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) score — T1 (1 months after surgery); T2 (after 2 months of rehabilitation treatment)
  The Toronto Extremity Salvage Scores is the most commonly used, valid, and disease-specific measure to assess physical function in patients with bone and soft tissue tumors of the extremities undergoing limb salvage surgery. The Italian version will be used. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 being the best score. According to tumor's location, either the upper or the lower limb section will be used. We will employ the Italian version of the TESS.

Trial sites (3)

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