OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the toxicity and maximum tolerated dose of preoperative external beam radiotherapy when combined with doxorubicin and followed by intraoperative radiotherapy in patients with resectable primary or recurrent soft tissue sarcoma of the retroperitoneum. II. Assess radiologic and pathologic response in patients treated with this preoperative regimen.

OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study of external beam radiotherapy. Patients receive doxorubicin IV bolus followed immediately by doxorubicin IV over 4 days every week for 5 weeks concurrently with external beam radiotherapy 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Patients with stable or responding disease undergo surgical resection of primary tumor and all adjacent gross disease approximately 6 weeks after completion of chemoradiotherapy. Patients receive intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) to the tumor bed if all gross disease has been resected and if the area of maximal tumor adherence to the retroperitoneum can be encompassed within a single IORT field (maximum 15 cm). Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of external beam radiotherapy until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose at which 30% of patients experience grade 3 or worse dose-limiting toxicity.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 15-45 patients will be accrued for this study.