Sarcoma
Sarcoma is a rare type of malignant cancerous tumor that affects the body’s connective tissue, which includes bone, cartilage, fat, vascular, muscles, nerves, deep skin tissue, and fibrous tissue.
Types of Sarcoma
Based on where in the body the cancer develops, Sarcoma can be broadly classified into two types: Soft Tissue Sarcoma and Bone Sarcoma.
Soft tissue Sarcoma
Soft tissue sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of rare tumors representing less than 1% of all cancerous solid tumors in adults. It includes tumors arising from fat, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, deep skin, and fibrous tissue. Most commonly found in the arms, legs, chest, or abdomen. There are more than 80 types of soft tissue sarcoma. It can occur both in children and adults.
Bone Sarcoma
Bone Sarcoma is a type of cancer that forms primarily in the bone, which are rare tumors, approximating 0.2% of all cancers. Bone sarcoma is more common in children, and few of them can occur in adults. It accounts for the third most common cause of mortality in adolescents.
The most common forms of bone sarcomas are Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, and Ewing Sarcoma.
Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma inclines the involvement of the long bones- the most common sites involve arms and legs. It occurs in children and young adults between 10 and 30 years of age, with peak incidence during adolescent growth spurts. The incidence of osteosarcoma has always been considered to be higher in males than in females.
Chondrosarcoma
It develops in the cartilage cells of the bone and occurs more commonly in adults and older age. The majority of patients are older than 50 years, with a slight predominance of males. It happens more often in the pelvis, hip, and shoulder. They account for about 20% of all primary malignant tumors of the bone.
Ewing Sarcoma
It is the second most common primary malignant tumor of bone and accounts for 10-15% of all bone sarcomas. It is most common in the second decade of life, between 5 and 15 years, with a slightly higher male predominance. Common site of involvement includes the pelvis, axial skeleton, and femur, and can also occur in any bone or soft tissue.
Symptoms & Causes
The symptoms of Sarcoma may include swelling- a lump felt through the skin that may or may not be painful. It also provokes Bone pain, where a fractured bone might happen unexpectedly following a minor injury. Sarcoma induces abdominal pain or discomfort and also instigates significant weight loss.
The cause of most Sarcomas remains unclear. However, some factors increase the risk of Sarcoma, which includes a previous history of exposure to radiation therapy, inherited syndromes like familial retinoblastoma and neurofibromatosis, chronic lymphedema, and exposure to a few industrial chemicals.
Diagnosis and Tests
How is sarcoma treated?
- Treatment of sarcoma depends on where in your body it develops, the type of cancer, grade, size, and age of diagnosis.
- Surgery aims to remove the tumor with some of the surrounding normal tissue as a margin.
- Limb salvage surgery takes place for patients diagnosed with extremity sarcoma affecting the leg or arm and involves performing limb-sparing surgery to avoid amputation. Limb Salvage reconstruction options include Autologous bone graft, Allograft, Prosthesis reconstruction, and Rotationplasty. Prosthesis reconstruction (custom-made or modular) can be solitary or expandable.
- Chemotherapy is a systemic therapy given to treat cancer. It is administered before definitive treatment (neoadjuvant) or after decisive surgery (adjuvant).
- Radiation uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells. It is more useful in patients diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma.
Seeking Compassionate Cancer Care?
Fill out the form below, and a member of our team will contact you with more details.
