What Is Sarcoma?
Types, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment
Rare oncological disease
A sarcoma is an aggressive cancerous growth originating in either bone or soft tissue. Sarcomas are uncommon, representing only 1% of all adult cancer cases and approximately 15% of childhood cancer cases. There are more than 100 types.
- 40% originate in the lower extremities (legs, ankles, feet).
- 15% originate in the upper extremities (shoulders, arms, wrists, hands).
- 30% originate in the trunk, chest wall, abdomen, or pelvis.
- 15% originate in the head and neck.
Sarcoma is a rare and complex type of cancer that develops in the body’s connective tissues, including bones, muscles, fat, blood vessels, nerves and cartilage. Unlike carcinomas, which arise from organs or epithelial cells, sarcomas originate in mesenchymal tissues.
Although sarcoma accounts for approximately 1% of adult cancers, it represents up to 15 – 20% of childhood cancers. Because it can form almost anywhere in the body and often develops without early warning signs, early detection and specialized treatment are critical.
Sarcoma impacts individuals across various age groups. Typically, soft tissue sarcoma is more prevalent among adults, while bone sarcoma diagnoses are more common among children.
This page provides a comprehensive overview of sarcoma types, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, staging, treatment options and prognosis.
Types of Sarcoma
Sarcoma is not just one disease. In fact, there are more than 100 different subtypes, each with its own characteristics and behavior. To make things clearer, doctors usually group sarcomas into two main categories.
Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Soft tissue sarcomas start in the tissues that connect, support, and surround other parts of the body. These are the structures that help hold everything together and allow us to move and function normally.
They can develop in: Muscles; fat, blood vessels, nerves, tendons, other fibrous or connective tissues
Because these tissues exist throughout the body, soft tissue sarcomas can appear almost anywhere — most commonly in the arms, legs, or abdomen.
Bone sarcoma
Bone sarcoma is the second main category of sarcomas. This type of cancer begins directly in the bone tissue and is less common than soft tissue sarcoma. Bone sarcoma most often affects the long bones of the arms and legs, but it can also develop in the pelvis, spine, or other parts of the skeleton. The most common types of bone sarcoma include osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma. Bone sarcoma can occur in both children and adults, and early detection and timely treatment are essential for improving outcomes and survival rates.
Further down this page, you will find detailed information about the different subtypes of sarcoma and their specific characteristics.
More Information & FAQ
SARCOMAFREE FOUNDATION
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about sarcoma, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment options.
Symptoms and causes
Sarcomas arise when immature bone or soft tissue cells undergo DNA alterations, leading to the development of cancer cells that proliferate uncontrollably.
Over time, they can create a lump or growth that can spread to nearby tissues. If not treated, the cancer can spread through your blood or lymphatic system to other parts of your body (metastasis), which is hard to treat. Just like with other cancers, scientists aren’t sure what triggers a healthy cell to turn into sarcoma.
What are the risk factors associated with sarcoma?
Certain factors may raise your risk of developing sarcoma. Risk factors include:
- Exposure to chemicals – Exposure to arsenic and certain chemicals used to make plastics (vinyl chloride monomer), herbicides (phenoxyacetic acid) and wood preservatives (chlorophenols).
- Radiation
- Lymphedema
- Genetic conditions
What are the signs of sarcoma?
Symptoms differ based on where the tumor is situated. For instance, some sarcomas may not exhibit noticeable symptoms initially. Certain sarcomas might manifest as painless lumps beneath the skin, while others may not cause discomfort until they reach a size that presses against an organ.
Other sarcomas may induce persistent bone pain or swelling in the limbs, particularly worsening during nighttime. These alterations could restrict movement.
Sarcoma symptoms may include:
- A new lump that may or may not hurt.
- Pain in an extremity (arm/leg) or the abdomen/pelvis.
- Trouble moving your arm or leg (a limp or limited range of motion).
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Back pain.
How do doctors diagnose sarcoma?
- X-ray
- Computed tomography (CT) scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Bone scan
- PET scan
- Biopsy
Doctors use cancer staging to understand how serious sarcoma is and which treatments might be best. They often classify sarcoma using the TNM system.
- T: Describes the size and location of the primary tumor.
- N: Describes whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- M: Describes whether the cancer has spread to other organs (metastasized).
Doctors use this data to determine the stage of your sarcoma, assigning a number (1 through 4). The higher the number, the more the cancer has either grown in the local area or spread to other parts of your body.
Each type of sarcoma has its own staging criteria. Talk to your doctor about your cancer stage to understand how it affects your treatment.
Is sarcoma cancer curable?
Some sarcomas can be successfully treated, especially when detected early. Treatment options may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or targeted therapies. Survival rates vary depending on the sarcoma type, stage, and how early the cancer is diagnosed.
What is the survival rate of sarcoma?
For soft tissue sarcoma, the five-year survival rate varies from 15% if the cancer has spread to other parts of your body, to 81% if it hasn’t spread. In osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer, the five-year survival rate ranges from 26% if the cancer has spread, to 77% if it hasn’t.
These numbers aren’t applicable for every sarcoma. The prognosis depends on things like the type of sarcoma, where it is, overall health, how the patient responds to treatment, and more.
What are the types of sarcoma?
Types of primary bone sarcoma include:
Types of soft tissue sarcomas include:
- Angiosarcoma
- Desmoplastic small round cell tumors
- Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)
- Leiomyosarcoma
- Liposarcoma
- Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor
- Malignant schwannoma
- Myxofibrosarcoma
- Rhabdomyosarcoma
- Synovial sarcoma
- Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma
- Clear cell sarcoma
In this article, you will learn what sarcoma is, what the main symptoms are, what warning signs to watch for, and why early diagnosis is critically important.
Medical References:
National Cancer Institute
Cleveland clinic
