Cancer is a dangerous and life-threatening disease  – it is nowadays more common in all ages. Various types of cancer can be identified depending on their locations, symptoms, and causes. Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer – it causes cancerous tumours in the connective tissues of your body. It may happen in any part of your body. In the early stage, there are typically no symptoms that can be noticed in sarcoma, so that delay in sarcoma treatment can be overactive, and it leads to a higher risk of life-threatening complications. In this blog, we will explore what sarcoma is. and also its types, causes, and treatment process.

What is Sarcoma?

Sarcoma is an uncommon type of cancer, rarely found in people. It may occur when a malignant tumour forms in the connective tissues, like soft tissues or bone, including muscle, blood vessels, fibrous tissue, connective tissues, supportive tissue, fat, and cartilage portions in any part of the body. Research has been conducted to identify the cause of sarcoma, revealing that any bone disease, infection, chemical exposure in the tissues, or chronic disease can lead to sarcoma. In this case, genetic factors also play an essential role in developing sarcoma. 

Treatment of sarcoma is associated with chemotherapies, radio therapies and surgeries.

What are the causes of sarcoma?

As there is no clear cause of sarcoma, it develops as a tumour in the bones and soft tissues of the whole body.

• Some genetic mutations may cause soft tissue sarcoma.
• Certain chemical exposures, like arsenic or dioxin, can increase the risk of the development of sarcoma.
• Lymphedema
• Past medical history related to radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment.

Researchers have identified some syndrome that increases the risk of sarcoma cancer type; these genetic disorders include, 

• Li-Fraumeni syndrome
• Neurofibromatosis type 1
• Retinoblastoma
• Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer
• Gardner syndrome
• Werner syndrome
• Multiple osteochondromas

There are some chances of getting exposed to some viruses, like human herpes virus 8, which trigger cancer risks like sarcoma. 

Understanding the symptoms of sarcoma:

There are, as such, no prior symptoms by which you can identify sarcoma or any issues related to it. Some common symptoms include:

• A new lump on your skin may be painful or painless.
• Uncontrolled weight loss
• Body pain
• Pain in your bones
• Blood in your stool
• Belly pain
• Unwillingness to eat
• Abdominal pain
• Intestinal blockage

Types of Sarcomas:

There are mainly two types of sarcomas – one is bone sarcoma and another is soft tissue sarcoma. Both types may occur in the connective tissues.

Bone Sarcomas: 

They refer to the tumours that develop in the bone tissue. They are generally classified based on the specific type of bone they affect, such as flat bones (like the skull or pelvis) versus the long bones of the limbs (like the humerus or femur). 

Additionally, classification can also depend on the exact location within the bone, such as the epiphysis, metaphysis, or diaphysis. 

The common bone cancer forms are Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, and Ewing sarcoma.

Osteosarcoma: This is also known as osteogenic sarcoma, mostly common in teenagers. Within the cells of the bones, it starts and it may occur in the long bones of the body, like legs and arms. Symptoms may develop, like pain or swelling, or a lump at the tumour portion.

Chondrosarcoma: Chondrosarcoma is a type of cancer that originates in cartilage, the soft, flexible connective tissue found in joints between bones. It most commonly occurs in the pelvis, thigh (upper leg), and shoulder bones. Similar to osteosarcoma, typical symptoms may include persistent pain, along with swelling or a noticeable lump at the location of the tumour.

Ewing sarcoma: Ewing sarcoma most frequently affects areas such as the pelvis, thighs, lower legs, upper arms, and chest wall. Common symptoms include pain, swelling, and redness around the tumour site. While it typically arises in bones, Ewing sarcoma can also develop in soft tissues, including muscles and connective tissues. Though most often diagnosed in children and adolescents, the disease can also appear in adults, who may face a more complex and challenging treatment journey compared to younger patients.

There are other rare forms of bone cancer, such as Chordoma and Giant Cell Tumours.

Soft Tissue Sarcoma: 

In this case, tumours may arise in the muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and tendons. Soft tissue sarcoma may be found in any body part, as a tumour may develop in any part of our body. It may be classified by the tissues of origin.

This type of sarcoma commonly occurs in the arms and legs, but can also develop in the trunk, internal organs, head and neck region, and the retroperitoneal (back of the abdominal) area.

You may find more than 70 different types of soft tissue sarcoma, and their causes and symptoms may depend on the region of the body.

Types of soft tissue sarcoma:

• Leiomyosarcoma: A malignant tumour may develop in the belly.
• Liposarcoma: The tumour may arise in your legs or your retroperitoneum.
• Angiosarcoma: It is a rare and aggressive form of soft tissue sarcoma that develops in the inner lining of blood vessels and lymphatic channels. It tends to spread rapidly and requires prompt medical attention.
• Synovial Sarcoma: This tumour can arise near joints or connective tissues, commonly found in the abdomen, limbs, or even the lungs.
• Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumour (MPNST): These cancers originate in the protective tissues surrounding peripheral nerves, often affecting the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord.
• Myxofibrosarcoma: A type of soft tissue cancer that typically forms in the fatty or cartilaginous tissues just beneath the skin, often in the limbs.
• Rhabdomyosarcoma: A cancer that targets skeletal muscles, appearing in areas like the arms, legs, head, neck, or abdomen. It is more frequently diagnosed in children and adolescents than in adults. 

Also, many more types, you will get soft tissue sarcoma, where other body parts are included.

How can sarcoma be diagnosed?

If your doctor thinks you have any risk of sarcoma, he/she recommend that to do various tests or screenings depending on the symptoms and the body parts.

For detecting malignancy or any abnormal cell growth, the doctor may ask you to undergo biopsy tests.

Along with this, an MRI, CT scan, and ultrasound can be done for proper diagnosis.

Various blood tests can be recommended for checking total body functions. 

For reliable and accurate reports, you can contact Nirnayan Pathology lab for doing any blood tests, cancer screening, or any type of biopsies. Here, you will get advanced diagnosis instruments and procedures for accurate disease detection and accurate further treatment.

Sarcoma treatment procedure:

What will be the treatment of sarcoma depends on the types and stages of sarcoma, also it may also depend on the patient’s health conditions.

First, the doctor will check the types and the location of the sarcoma and find its consequences, chances of its spread in other organs also needs to identify for recommending surgery in any emergency cases.

Surgery is used to remove the tumour from the body. In most osteosarcoma cases, doctors can remove only the cancerous tissue without needing to amputate the affected arm or leg.

Radiation therapy can help reduce the size of a tumour before surgery or destroy any remaining cancer cells afterwards. It may also serve as the primary treatment when surgery isn’t possible.

Chemotherapies help in killing the cancerous cells even after the surgery. In many cases, chemotherapies help in treating bone sarcoma or soft tissue sarcoma on a long-term basis.

Is sarcoma curable?

In many cases, only surgery can cure this disease by removing the cancer cells from the body, but there are also chances for it to come back. Most soft tissue sarcoma has a recurrence with other health complications later, even after cure.

When to consult a doctor?

Sarcoma has no proper symptoms in the prior stage, so you do not have any chances to identify it at the very first stage. But, if you see such symptoms even after any surgery, include,

• Consistent fever
• Unexplained weight loss
• Any unexpected lump 
• Consistent pain in the incision part
• Pain in your body part 

Talk to medical professionals as early as possible and do whatever they recommend for further treatment and diagnosis.

Care at Nirnayan Pathology Lab:

Nirnayan not only provides testing facilities, but we also focus on advanced next-gen sequencing, genetic testing, and the anatomical pathology segment for accurate and proper diagnosis. Do not delay. If there are any issues or symptoms, you may follow up, consult with your doctors. Every minute is precious when it matters to your health.