The role of preoperative chemotherapy in the treatment of infantile fibrosarcoma.

Infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS) is a rare tumor most often affecting the extremities of infants and young children. Unlike its adult counterpart, IFS has a low potential for metastatic spread, and surgical extirpation alone has therefore resulted in an excellent prognosis. The amputation rate, however, exceeds 50%. The dramatic response in 2 recent cases to preoperative chemotherapy, given in an attempt to avoid amputation, prompted this report and a review of the literature.