What is sarcoma?
Sarcoma is a malignant tumor that originates in the soft tissues of the body, such as muscles, connective tissue, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, nerves, ligaments and adipose tissue.
Among the different types of cancer, sarcomas are among the rarest. The most affected areas of the body are the legs and arms, but sarcomas can also develop in the trunk, head and neck, and abdominal cavity.
There are many types of soft tissue sarcoma, which differ according to the location of the origin of the tumor: angiosarcoma, which is formed from the cells of a blood or lymphatic vessel; fibrosarcoma, from fibroblasts; leiomyosarcoma, from the cell of a smooth muscle tissue; liposarcoma, from adipose tissue; rhabdomyosarcoma, of skeletal muscle tissue; gastrointestinal stromal tumor, which originates in the digestive system; Kaposi’s sarcoma of the skin, intestine or mucous membranes. Bone sarcomas include osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma.
What are the symptoms of sarcoma?
In general, sarcoma does not produce symptoms in the early stages; when it begins to grow, however, the symptoms are quite vague.
When the sarcoma is located in the lower limbs and upper extremities, there is swelling and swelling at the level of the tumor, which are not always accompanied by pain. If, on the other hand, the neoplasm originates in the abdominal cavity, the most typical symptoms are bleeding and intestinal obstruction.
What are the causes of sarcoma?
It is difficult to identify the causes and risk factors common to all types of sarcomas. However, some known risk factors have been identified, which include:
- Predisposition to diseases of genetic origin, such as neurofibromatosis, Gardner syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome and retinoblastoma.
- Radiation exposure, e.g., from previous radiation therapy
- Surgical removal of lymph nodes and chronic lymphedema.
- Exposure to certain chemicals, such as vinyl chloride, dioxin and some pesticides.
Is it preventable?
Unfortunately, this type of cancer cannot be prevented and there are no early detection programs. If you have had a case of sarcoma in your family, you can access genetic testing to detect hereditary syndromes that predispose to the development of this type of neoplasm.
What is the treatment?
The treatment of sarcoma requires the collaboration of different specialists, due to the position in which this type of neoplasm develops. Surgical treatment is the first option in case of localized tumors. Surgery is used to radically remove the tumor together with the adjacent tissues: the risk of the tumor attacking the surrounding tissues and causing metastasis is, in fact, particularly high in the case of sarcoma.
Radiation therapy helps to reduce the size of the sarcoma before surgery; after surgery, radiation therapy is indicated in the more aggressive forms to reduce the risk of recurrence. Chemotherapy is used in the presence of metastases.