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

NCT ID: NCT06873685

Last Updated: 2025-03-21

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

120 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-03-13

Study Completion Date

2026-08-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

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.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This is a non-profit, multicenter, non-controlled interventional study aimed at evaluating the main characteristics of motor disability and the impact of personalized robotic rehabilitation in patients undergoing surgical treatment for localized soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

Aim 1: Identify the clinical characteristics and motor deficits following surgical intervention for soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

Aim 2: Evaluate the impact of a personalized robotic rehabilitation treatment on motor recovery in patients with STS.

Aim 3: Assess the impact of perioperative treatments and surgery on quality of life and nutritional status in patients with STS.

The primary endpoint of the study is the assessment of functional deficits and motor quality in patients with STS who have undergone surgical treatment, both after surgery and after a personalized rehabilitation program. The evaluation of functional deficits will include the analysis of functional impairment, activity limitations, and pain, which will be assessed using validated clinical scales. Motor quality will be measured using MIMU and EMG sensors and motor tests to study muscle activity.

The secondary endpoints will include:

1. a comprehensive patient and disease assessment, recording: demographic information and patient characteristics; past medical history; tumor location; histopathological tumor characteristics; details on neoadjuvant therapies and surgical procedures.
2. the Quality of life assessment of the patients;
3. the nutritional status assessment of the patients.

Study Procedures and Interventions:

Comprehensive assessments-including general, clinical, instrumental, quality of life, and nutritional evaluations-will be conducted at:

T0 (at diagnosis) to establish aims to characterize the impact of the tumor on the patient's functional abilities.

T0+ (after radio-chemotherapy, if applicable) to assess the potential effects of radio-chemotherapy before surgery.

Patients eligible for rehabilitation treatment will follow a structured evaluation process:

T1 (within one month after surgery): reassessment to determine the functional impact of surgery.

Rehabilitation phase: Patients will undergo conventional and robotic rehabilitation therapies tailored to the upper or lower limbs.

T2 (after two months of rehabilitation): reassessment to measure functional recovery and rehabilitation outcomes.

T3 (within eight-months from surgery): follow-up.

The sample size was calculated based on a change after the rehabilitation program at least equal to the MCID of the scale. Specifically, 67 individuals are necessary considering a 2-sided, paired t-test, an MCID of 7 points, a common standard deviation of 20 points, a correlation coefficient between paired samples of 0.5, a significance threshold of 0.05, and a power of 0.80. This sample size will be increased to 90 individuals to account for a 25% loss at T2 owing to patients who will be unable to begin the rehabilitation intervention or who will develop clinical complications during the rehabilitation intervention. The power calculation was limited to patients with RPS and lower limb ESTS since the MCID of the TESS for the upper limb module has not been published. Moreover, we will enroll 30 patients with upper limb ESTS, based on number of patients referred and operated at our units (UO1 and UO3) in the last 2 years. Findings achieved in these patients will be considered exploratory for the scanty information currently available in the literature.

All participating centers will follow a standardized operating procedure regarding treatment and outcome assessment to ensure consistency across all sites. Data will be systematically collected using the REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) platform.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Sarcoma, Soft Tissue

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Rehabilitation

Conventional and robotic / technological rehabilitation treatments targeting the upper or lower limb, based on tumor location.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Rehabilitation

Intervention Type OTHER

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.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

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.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

1. patient with primary and localized STS who is a candidate for limb-sparing surgery or retroperitoneal multivisceral resection (including partial or complete resection of the iliopsoas muscle with functional loss and potential femoral nerve involvement) with curative intent;
2. age 18 years or older.

Exclusion Criteria

1. recurrent tumors;
2. metastatic disease;
3. candidate for palliative and non-radical surgery;
4. refusal to sign informed consent;
5. Pregnant or breastfeeding women at the time of screening.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G. Pascale

NETWORK

Sponsor Role collaborator

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Bruno Vincenzi, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Site Status RECRUITING

Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS

Roma, RM, Italy

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Istituto Nazionale Tumori-IRCCS-Fondazione G.Pascale

Napoli, , Italy

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Italy

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Bruno Vincenzi

Role: CONTACT

+3906225411160

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Cinzia Potestà

Role: primary

+3906225418855

Monica Pinto, MD

Role: primary

+393384790798

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Tanaka A, Okamoto M, Kito M, Yoshimura Y, Aoki K, Suzuki S, Takazawa A, Komatsu Y, Ideta H, Ishida T, Takahashi J. Muscle strength and functional recovery for soft-tissue sarcoma of the thigh: a prospective study. Int J Clin Oncol. 2023 Jul;28(7):922-927. doi: 10.1007/s10147-023-02348-4. Epub 2023 May 3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37133781 (View on PubMed)

Williamson A, Hoggart B. Pain: a review of three commonly used pain rating scales. J Clin Nurs. 2005 Aug;14(7):798-804. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2005.01121.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16000093 (View on PubMed)

van Eck I, den Hollander D, Desar IME, Soomers VLMN, van de Sande MAJ, de Haan JJ, Verhoef C, Vriens IJH, Bonenkamp JJ, van der Graaf WTA, van Houdt WJ, Husson O. Unraveling the Heterogeneity of Sarcoma Survivors' Health-Related Quality of Life Regarding Primary Sarcoma Location: Results from the SURVSARC Study. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Oct 22;12(11):3083. doi: 10.3390/cancers12113083.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33105807 (View on PubMed)

Slump J, Bastiaannet E, Halka A, Hoekstra HJ, Ferguson PC, Wunder JS, Hofer SOP, O'Neill AC. Risk factors for postoperative wound complications after extremity soft tissue sarcoma resection: A systematic review and meta-analyses. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2019 Sep;72(9):1449-1464. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2019.05.041. Epub 2019 May 23.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31302071 (View on PubMed)

Rossi L, Boffano M, Comandone A, Ferro A, Grignani G, Linari A, Pellegrino P, Piana R, Ratto N, Davis AM. Validation process of Toronto Exremity Salvage Score in Italian: A quality of life measure for patients with extremity bone and soft tissue tumors. J Surg Oncol. 2020 Mar;121(4):630-637. doi: 10.1002/jso.25849. Epub 2020 Jan 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31957034 (View on PubMed)

Poquet N, Lin C. The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). J Physiother. 2016 Jan;62(1):52. doi: 10.1016/j.jphys.2015.07.001. Epub 2015 Aug 21. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26303366 (View on PubMed)

Pavlidis ET, Pavlidis TE. New trends in the surgical management of soft tissue sarcoma: The role of preoperative biopsy. World J Clin Oncol. 2023 Feb 24;14(2):89-98. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v14.i2.89.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36908679 (View on PubMed)

Ogura K, Uehara K, Akiyama T, Shinoda Y, Iwata S, Tsukushi S, Kobayashi E, Hirose T, Yonemoto T, Endo M, Tanzawa Y, Nakatani F, Kawano H, Tanaka S, Kawai A. Minimal clinically important differences in Toronto Extremity Salvage Score for patients with lower extremity sarcoma. J Orthop Sci. 2020 Mar;25(2):315-318. doi: 10.1016/j.jos.2019.03.022. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31000377 (View on PubMed)

McKenzie C, Barker K. Occupational therapy rehabilitation for sarcoma patients following limb salvage surgery: a scoping review. Disabil Rehabil. 2021 Jan;43(2):284-296. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2019.1620874. Epub 2019 Jun 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31180732 (View on PubMed)

Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Garcia-Arellano A, Toledo E, Salas-Salvado J, Buil-Cosiales P, Corella D, Covas MI, Schroder H, Aros F, Gomez-Gracia E, Fiol M, Ruiz-Gutierrez V, Lapetra J, Lamuela-Raventos RM, Serra-Majem L, Pinto X, Munoz MA, Warnberg J, Ros E, Estruch R; PREDIMED Study Investigators. A 14-item Mediterranean diet assessment tool and obesity indexes among high-risk subjects: the PREDIMED trial. PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e43134. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043134. Epub 2012 Aug 14.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22905215 (View on PubMed)

Heidari S, Babor TF, De Castro P, Tort S, Curno M. Sex and Gender Equity in Research: rationale for the SAGER guidelines and recommended use. Res Integr Peer Rev. 2016 May 3;1:2. doi: 10.1186/s41073-016-0007-6. eCollection 2016.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29451543 (View on PubMed)

Fayers P, Bottomley A; EORTC Quality of Life Group; Quality of Life Unit. Quality of life research within the EORTC-the EORTC QLQ-C30. European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer. Eur J Cancer. 2002 Mar;38 Suppl 4:S125-33. doi: 10.1016/s0959-8049(01)00448-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11858978 (View on PubMed)

Enneking WF, Dunham W, Gebhardt MC, Malawar M, Pritchard DJ. A system for the functional evaluation of reconstructive procedures after surgical treatment of tumors of the musculoskeletal system. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1993 Jan;(286):241-6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8425352 (View on PubMed)

Davis AM, Wright JG, Williams JI, Bombardier C, Griffin A, Bell RS. Development of a measure of physical function for patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma. Qual Life Res. 1996 Oct;5(5):508-16. doi: 10.1007/BF00540024.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8973131 (View on PubMed)

Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Bahat G, Bauer J, Boirie Y, Bruyere O, Cederholm T, Cooper C, Landi F, Rolland Y, Sayer AA, Schneider SM, Sieber CC, Topinkova E, Vandewoude M, Visser M, Zamboni M; Writing Group for the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2), and the Extended Group for EWGSOP2. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age Ageing. 2019 Jul 1;48(4):601. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afz046. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31081853 (View on PubMed)

Cocks K, Wells JR, Johnson C, Schmidt H, Koller M, Oerlemans S, Velikova G, Pinto M, Tomaszewski KA, Aaronson NK, Exall E, Finbow C, Fitzsimmons D, Grant L, Groenvold M, Tolley C, Wheelwright S, Bottomley A; European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Group. Content validity of the EORTC quality of life questionnaire QLQ-C30 for use in cancer. Eur J Cancer. 2023 Jan;178:128-138. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.10.026. Epub 2022 Nov 1.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36436330 (View on PubMed)

Aaronson NK, Ahmedzai S, Bergman B, Bullinger M, Cull A, Duez NJ, Filiberti A, Flechtner H, Fleishman SB, de Haes JC, et al. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30: a quality-of-life instrument for use in international clinical trials in oncology. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993 Mar 3;85(5):365-76. doi: 10.1093/jnci/85.5.365.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8433390 (View on PubMed)

Caraceni A, Mendoza TR, Mencaglia E, Baratella C, Edwards K, Forjaz MJ, Martini C, Serlin RC, de Conno F, Cleeland CS. A validation study of an Italian version of the Brief Pain Inventory (Breve Questionario per la Valutazione del Dolore). Pain. 1996 Apr;65(1):87-92. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(95)00156-5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8826494 (View on PubMed)

Bouhassira D, Attal N, Alchaar H, Boureau F, Brochet B, Bruxelle J, Cunin G, Fermanian J, Ginies P, Grun-Overdyking A, Jafari-Schluep H, Lanteri-Minet M, Laurent B, Mick G, Serrie A, Valade D, Vicaut E. Comparison of pain syndromes associated with nervous or somatic lesions and development of a new neuropathic pain diagnostic questionnaire (DN4). Pain. 2005 Mar;114(1-2):29-36. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2004.12.010. Epub 2005 Jan 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15733628 (View on PubMed)

Bennett M. The LANSS Pain Scale: the Leeds assessment of neuropathic symptoms and signs. Pain. 2001 May;92(1-2):147-57. doi: 10.1016/s0304-3959(00)00482-6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11323136 (View on PubMed)

Barnes ME, Elliott JA, McIntyre TV, Boyle EA, Gillis AE, Ridgway PF. Sarcopenia and obesity among patients with soft tissue sarcoma - Association with clinicopathologic characteristics, complications and oncologic outcome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2021 Sep;47(9):2237-2247. doi: 10.1016/j.ejso.2021.04.024. Epub 2021 May 20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34023166 (View on PubMed)

Apolone G, Mosconi P. The Italian SF-36 Health Survey: translation, validation and norming. J Clin Epidemiol. 1998 Nov;51(11):1025-36. doi: 10.1016/s0895-4356(98)00094-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9817120 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

PNRR-TR1-2023-12378226

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

FPUCBM_STARTRUN1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.