When a malignant tumour grows in the connective tissues of the body, it is called a sarcoma. Sarcomas are further split into two main groups, bone sarcomas and soft tissue sarcomas.
Soft tissue sarcomas affect just over 11,000 people in the US per year, which is very rare. Soft tissue includes tendons, cartilage, tissue, muscles, fat and even blood vessels, and a sarcoma occurs when the cells in these tissues mutate and become tumours. 40% of soft tissue sarcomas occur in the legs, and 30% in the chest or abdomen. However, they can happen anywhere on the body as soft tissue is the connective element to our entire body.
Any cancer in the bone or bone marrow falls under the bone sarcoma category. This is one of the most rare forms of cancer, with under 3000 people in the US being diagnosed each year. Bone cancers are more common, although still extremely rare, in children, as their bones are still growing and more vulnerable to cell mutations.
The symptoms of sarcoma are very hard to spot, especially early on, and by the time symptoms do start to emerge, sometimes the cancer can be quite progressed. However, there are some symptoms to look out for. In soft tissue sarcomas, a painless lump is usually the first symptom to present, and as this progresses and starts to press on the ligaments, muscles and nerves in the surrounding area, there can be pain. However, because soft tissue is so malleable, often a lump can get quite large before it is noticed by anyone. Bone cancers tend to be painful much earlier on, because our bones are extremely sensitive. As bone cancer is most common in children, take note if a child is complaining of pain in their joints or aching bones. A bone sarcoma in children can often be mistook for growing pains, meaning when finally spotted it is already progressed and treatment odds are worse.
These symptoms are hard to spot, if visible at all, and this can be disheartening. The message that Sarcoma Awareness Month is trying to get across is that a general awareness of your whole body can help in diagnosing not only sarcoma, but all cancers and indeed many other illnesses. If you are checking your breasts and skin as we have been told to do by various cancer campaigns, then that is great, but a whole body awareness and examination is the best way to spot things as early as possible. If we know what normal is, we can know what abnormal is, and checking your body for anything out of the ordinary, be that a new mole or a lump in your leg, could save time and help make treatment more successful.
The best way to diagnose any cancer is through a biopsy of the tumour, to discover if it is malignant or benign. For soft tissue cancers that present somewhere visible, this can be quite simple, but soft tissue runs throughout our body, meaning often the tumour is not within easy reach. Bone sarcomas are the hardest to diagnose, as a long needle into the bone, or even an incision, is often needed to get a biopsy. X-rays and scans can show sarcomas, particularly in the bone, and this can help with location of the tumours. However, in some cases the process of determining whether a sarcoma is malignant or not can be just as invasive as removing it altogether, and in this instance the tumour is simply removed and tested afterwards to see if further treatment such as chemotherapy will be needed. We are all too familiar with the treatment of cancer, and sarcomas are not that different. One of, or a combination of, surgery to remove the tumour, and radiation or chemotherapy to help stop the spread and kill off the cancer, are the usual path for sarcomas. If diagnosed early, removing the tumour is often successful and the cancer is gone. However, a lot of sarcomas are diagnosed quite late when the cancer is already at stage III or IV, meaning treatment can be less effective.