Tissue Sample Collection From Patients With Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Arms, Hands, Legs, or Feet Treated on Clinial Trial CRUK-VORTEX
Tissue Sample Collection From Patients With Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Arms, Hands, Legs, or Feet Treated on Clinial Trial CRUK-VORTEX
RATIONALE: Collecting and storing samples of tumor tissue from patients with soft tissue
 sarcoma to test in the laboratory may help the study of cancer in the future.

 PURPOSE: This laboratory is collecting tissue samples from patients with soft tissue sarcoma
 of the arms, hands, legs, or feet treated on clinical trial CRUK-VORTEX.
OBJECTIVES:

 -  Determine early in the course of treatment which patients treated on clinical trial
 CRUK-VORTEX have an increased likelihood of distant metastases so as to highlight
 individuals who might benefit from early adjuvant systemic therapy.

 OUTLINE: This is a multicenter study.

 Tumour and normal tissue samples will be taken at the time of surgery during treatment on
 clinical trial CRUK-VORTEXand preserved for future microarray analyses. Tissue microarrays
 will be produced from both tumor and normal tissues. Blood samples will be collected for
 future DNA analysis.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

 -  Histologically confirmed soft tissue sarcoma

 -  Receiving treatment on clinical trial CRUK-VORTEX

 -  Underwent surgery to remove the tumor no more than 3 months ago

 PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

 -  Not pregnant or nursing

 -  Negative pregnancy test

 -  Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 3 months after
 completion of study treatment

 -  No other major medical illness that would preclude study treatment

 -  No other prior or concurrent malignancy except adequately treated nonmelanoma
 carcinoma of the skin or in situ carcinoma of the cervix

 PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

 -  No prior radiotherapy to the local site

 -  No prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy