Abstract
Sarcomas represent a heterogeneous group of tumors that are composed of a wide range of tumor types with different natural histories and therapeutic approaches. Recent discoveries have identified specific molecular alterations in the pathogenesis of many of these tumors. These specific molecular alterations acquired during sarcomagenesis lead to the phenotypic changes of malignancy, namely proliferation, survival, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Inhibition of these molecular alterations by targeted therapy represents an opportunity to reverse the biologic basis of tumor formation in soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) and bone tumors (BTs). In this chapter we discuss a general overview of sarcomas and give specific examples of successful and proposed approaches to targeted therapyfor this disease.