Sarcoma
What is Sarcoma?
There are several types of sarcoma; osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, soft tissue sarcoma and uterine sarcoma. Soft tissue sarcoma is the most common type.
The term soft tissue refers to the tissue that connects and supports the structures and organs of the body. Muscles, tendons, fat, blood vessels, nerves, fibrous tissues and synovial tissues (the tissues around the joints) are all soft tissues.
Soft tissue sarcoma happens when malignant tumors develop in the soft tissue. There are many different types of soft tissue sarcomas; however they are usually grouped together because they share some characteristics and symptoms and are usually treated in similar ways. Soft tissue sarcoma can invade surrounding tissues and organs forming secondary tumors; however soft tissue sarcoma does not usually spread to the lymph nodes like many other cancers.
Sarcoma Risk Factors
- Job. Some studies have indicated that workers exposed to phenoxyacetic acid occurring in herbicides and chlorophenols occurring in wood preservatives may have an increased risk for soft tissue sarcoma.
- Radiation. When radiation treatment was first discovered, it was used to treat many noncancerous diseases and ailments. At the time, the potential damage of radiation treatments was not clear and the amount of radiation a patient was exposed to was not strictly regulated. Now radiation treatment for cancer is very well thought out. However, some patients with high doses of radiation developed soft tissue sarcoma.
- Diseases. Certain inherited diseases such as Neurofibromatosis, Li-Fraumeni syndrome or von Recklinghausen’s disease can increase an individual's risk for developing soft tissue sarcoma.
Sarcoma Early Detection
There is no generalized screening to check for sarcoma. Sarcoma often presents itself as lumps in the body, so it is important to get any such lumps checked out by a doctor.
If you are particularly worried about some symptoms you may have and have a family history of sarcoma and have been exposed to one of the chemical listed above or radiation therapy, it is a good idea to talk to your doctor.
Sarcoma Treatment
There are several treatment options for soft tissue sarcoma, including surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The type of treatment chosen depends on the stage of the cancer.
- Surgery. The most common form of treatment for soft tissue sarcoma usually involves the surgeon removing the tumor along with a small margin of healthy tissue surrounding the tumor.
- Radiation therapy. This treatment can be used before or after surgery depending on the type of tumor and needs of treatment. It involves direct treatment of the tumor through high dose x-rays.
- Chemotherapy. Usually used in conjunction with surgery and/or radiation therapy, chemotherapy is most effective when soft tissue sarcoma has not spread to distant parts of the body. With soft tissue sarcoma, chemotherapy is most effective as a treatment to shrink the tumor and kill any remaining cancer cells occurring in a localized area.