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Sarcoma is a rare type of malignant tumour that develops in bone and connective tissue, such as fat, muscle, blood vessels, nerves, and the tissue that surrounds bones and joints. Soft tissue sarcoma is a type of sarcoma that causes cancerous tumours in soft tissues such as fat cells, muscles, and tendons. One type of soft tissue sarcoma is skeletal muscle sarcoma, which can start nearly anywhere in the body but is most common in the arms and legs. Symptoms of skeletal muscle sarcoma depend on where the tumour has formed in the body, and treatment options include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | A rare type of malignant (cancerous) tumor that develops in bone and connective tissue, such as fat, muscle, blood vessels, nerves, and the tissue that surrounds bones and joints. |
| Types | Soft tissue sarcoma, primary bone sarcoma, skeletal muscle sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, angiosarcoma, desmoplastic small round cell tumors, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, malignant schwannomas, myxofibrosarcoma, Kaposi sarcoma, infantile fibrosarcoma, solitary fibrous tumors, granular cell tumors, leiomyomas, PEComas, angiomyolipomas, lymphangioleiomyomas, rhabdomyomas, schwannomas, tenosynovial giant cell tumors, spindle cell tumors, osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, fibrosarcoma, metastatic bone cancer, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma, spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma |
| Symptoms | Depend on the tumor's size and location. If the tumor is in the head or neck area, symptoms may include sinusitis, unilateral deafness, urinary retention, and jaundice. |
| Treatment | Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. |
| Diagnosis | Biopsy, physical examination, imaging tests (X-ray, CT scan, MRI, PET scan), cancer staging. |
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What You'll Learn
Soft tissue sarcoma
There are more than 50 types of soft tissue sarcomas, with some being quite rare. Some examples include:
- Rhabdomyosarcoma: These tumours affect muscles in the arms, legs, head, neck and belly. This is the most common type of soft tissue sarcoma in children.
- Synovial sarcoma: This type of tumour may form in the joints, belly, arms, legs or lungs.
- Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma: This is the most common type of soft tissue sarcoma and typically forms in the arms and legs.
- Leiomyosarcoma: This type of tumour affects the smooth muscle and often starts in the abdomen, but can also start in other parts of the body like the arms, legs or uterus.
- Liposarcoma: This tumour can develop in the legs or retroperitoneum and is a malignant tumour of fat tissue.
- Angiosarcoma: This is a very aggressive type of soft tissue sarcoma that forms in the inner lining of blood cells and lymphatic vessels.
Most soft tissue sarcomas grow very slowly, and symptoms may not appear for months or years. Treatment typically involves surgery to remove the cancerous tumour. Recent studies have also shown positive results for the use of tigilanol tiglate in treating soft tissue sarcomas.
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Types of muscle sarcoma
Muscle sarcoma is a rare cancer that causes cancerous tumours to form in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues in the body. There are over 70 types of muscle sarcoma, which is also known as soft tissue sarcoma. The treatment for muscle sarcoma is surgery to remove the cancerous tumour. Some types of muscle sarcoma include:
Skeletal Muscle Sarcoma
This type of sarcoma is typically seen in children but can occur in adults rarely. Skeletal muscle sarcoma can form anywhere in the body and spreads quickly to other parts of the body when it develops in adults. Symptoms depend on the location of the tumour in the body. Treatment often involves a combination of traditional treatments, such as surgery and radiation, with newer treatments like clinical trials and targeted therapy.
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS)
RMS is the medical term for a type of tumour that originates in rhabdomyoblast cells, which develop into skeletal muscles. RMS is most common in children, especially those under five years of age, but it can also affect adults. It usually occurs in the head, neck, bladder, vagina, or near the prostate and testicles.
Leiomyosarcoma
This type of sarcoma affects smooth muscle tissue and often starts in the abdomen, but it can also develop in other parts of the body, such as the arms, legs, or uterus.
Liposarcoma
Liposarcoma is a malignant tumour of fat tissue that can start anywhere in the body but typically originates in the thigh, behind the knee, or inside the abdomen. It primarily affects adults between 50 and 65 years old.
Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma
This is the most common type of soft tissue sarcoma, usually forming in the arms and legs.
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Symptoms and diagnosis
Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare cancer that causes cancerous tumours to form in soft tissues like muscles, tendons, fat cells, ligaments, and other soft tissues. There are over 70 types of soft tissue sarcoma, and they can develop anywhere in the body, though they most commonly develop in the arms, legs, chest, and belly.
Soft tissue sarcomas often grow slowly, and symptoms may not appear for months or years. The most common symptom of soft tissue sarcoma is the appearance of a new lump or a fast-growing lump anywhere on the body. Other symptoms depend on the type of soft tissue sarcoma and where it develops. For example, leiomyosarcoma affects the smooth muscle and often develops in the belly, while liposarcoma develops in the legs or retroperitoneum. Angiosarcoma is a very aggressive form of soft tissue sarcoma that develops in the inner lining of blood cells and lymphatic vessels. Malignant schwannomas are slow-growing tumours that can affect nerves in the arms, legs, or lower back.
If you notice a new lump or a fast-growing lump anywhere on your body, you should contact a healthcare provider. They will be able to perform diagnostic tests to determine whether the lump is cancerous. Treatment for soft tissue sarcoma typically involves surgery to remove the cancerous tumour.
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Treatment
Sarcoma is a rare type of malignant tumour that develops in bone and connective tissue, such as fat, muscle, blood vessels, nerves and cartilage. Soft tissue sarcomas can develop in soft tissues like fat, muscle, nerves, fibrous tissues, blood vessels, or deep skin tissues. They can be found in any part of the body but often form in the arms, legs, chest, or abdomen.
The treatment for soft tissue sarcoma often combines standard treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy with new types of treatment.
Surgery
Surgery is performed to remove the cancerous tumour. In most rhabdomyosarcoma cases in children, it is not possible to remove all of the tumour cells by surgery.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation beams to kill tumour cells or stop their growth. A radiation oncologist can perform either external or internal radiation therapy depending on the location of the tumour.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses strong medication to stop the growth of tumour cells, either by killing them or stopping them from dividing.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy is one of the new treatments for skeletal muscle sarcoma.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are another new treatment for skeletal muscle sarcoma.
Before treatment, diagnostic tests are carried out to determine the nature of the tumour. These tests include physical examinations, imaging tests, and biopsies.
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Risk factors
Sarcoma is a rare type of malignant tumour that develops in bone and connective tissue, such as fat, muscle, blood vessels, nerves, and the tissue that surrounds bones and joints. Soft tissue sarcomas are a specific type of sarcoma that begins in the muscle or other connective tissues of the body.
While the exact cause of soft tissue sarcomas is unknown, certain factors may increase the risk of developing them. Here are some of the risk factors for muscle sarcoma:
- Age: The risk of developing soft tissue sarcoma increases with age. In the UK, between 1996 and 2010, soft tissue sarcoma was most commonly diagnosed in people aged 80 to 84. However, for certain types of soft tissue sarcomas, such as rhabdomyosarcoma, younger people are at higher risk. This type of sarcoma affects muscles in the arms, legs, head, neck, and belly, and it is more common in children and teenagers than adults.
- Exposure to Radiation: Exposure to high doses of radiation from previous cancer treatment or medical tests can increase the risk of developing soft tissue sarcoma. About 1% of people who received radiotherapy for other cancers may develop sarcoma in the treated area years later.
- Genetic Conditions: Certain inherited genetic disorders and chromosome mutations can increase the risk of sarcoma. Examples include Gardner syndrome, Werner syndrome, von Hippel-Lindau disease, Gorlin syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, retinoblastoma, and neurofibromatosis type 1.
- Exposure to Chemicals: Exposure to certain chemicals, such as arsenic, vinyl chloride monomer (used in plastic production), phenoxyacetic acid (found in herbicides), and chlorophenols (used in wood preservatives), may increase the risk of developing sarcoma.
- Lymphedema: Long-term swelling in the arms or legs, known as lymphedema, is a risk factor for soft tissue sarcoma.
- Previous Cancer Treatment: Sarcomas have been linked to previous cancer treatments, particularly radiotherapy. However, it is important to note that the benefit of treating the initial cancer typically outweighs the small risk of developing a sarcoma in the future.
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Frequently asked questions
Muscle sarcoma is a rare type of malignant tumour that develops in muscle tissue.
Symptoms of muscle sarcoma depend on where the tumour is located in the body. If the tumour is in the head or neck area, symptoms may include unilateral deafness, sinusitis, jaundice, and urinary retention. If the tumour is located elsewhere in the body, symptoms may include heavy bleeding while urinating or troubled bowel movements.
Muscle sarcoma is typically treated with surgery and radiation. New treatments such as targeted therapy and clinical trials may also be used.
The exact cause of muscle sarcoma is unknown. It is believed to be initiated by DNA alterations in soft tissue cells, which then develop into cancer cells. Certain factors may increase the risk of developing muscle sarcoma, such as exposure to certain chemicals and radiation.
Muscle sarcoma is typically diagnosed through a combination of physical examination, imaging tests, and biopsy. Imaging tests such as X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and PET scans help determine the size and nature of the tumour. During a biopsy, a small tissue sample is taken from the tumour for analysis under a microscope.
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