Guide to Sarcoma: Cause, Symptoms, Diagnosis

Sarcoma is one of the rarest kinds of cancer but also one of the most severe ones. Sarcomas are different from other various types of cancer as it develops in the most different type of tissue. it occurs in the connective tissue of the body. Connective tissue is a type of group of cells that contributes towards connecting and supporting different kinds of tissues in your body. Common connective tissues in our body include blood vessels, fat, muscles, deep skin tissue, nerves, bones, fat and cartilage.

Sarcomas are not only present in the bones, muscles, tendons and other connective tissue, they can develop in other parts of the body as well. it is just a general term used for connective tissue and bone tumour. There are more than 50 different types of sarcoma but they are mainly divided into two common groups based on the location of their occurrence.

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Types

it is differentiated into two main kinds: Soft tissue (Connective tissue) Sarcoma and Osteosarcoma (Bone Sarcoma). Sarcoma is very rare in adults but it does develop in both adults and children. Here is one of the most common types of sarcoma of soft tissue and Osteosarcoma:

• Leiomyosarcoma: Affects smooth muscle in organ walls, often in the abdomen.
• Gastrointestinal stromal tumour: Affects specialized gut neuromuscular cells
• Synovial sarcoma: Stem cells tumour where cancerous tissue develops around the joints
• Liposarcoma: Affects the fat cells in soft tissue. It occurs inside the thigh or in the retroperitoneum.
• Neurofibrosarcoma: Affects the protective lining of the nerves.
• Angiosarcoma: Affects the blood or lymph vessels.
• Rhabdomyosarcoma: Occur in skeletal muscle.
• Vascular sarcoma: Affects blood vessels.
• Fibrosarcomas: Affect fibroblast which is the most common cells of connective tissue
• Myxofibrosarcoma: Affects the connective tissue. Develops around the arms and legs of older adults.
• Mesenchymal: Extremely rare. Affects any part of the body.
• Schwannoma: Affects the tissues that cover the nerves.
• Kaposi’s sarcoma: Affects the skin mostly but can develop elsewhere.
• Osteosarcoma (Sarcoma of the bone)
• Chondrosarcoma: Affects the cartilage.
• Fibrosarcoma: Affects fibrogenic tissue.
• Ewing sarcoma: Affects the bone or soft tissue.

Symptoms

Sarcoma is differentiated into two groups and each shows different symptoms of their development. However, the soft tissue sarcomas are hard to identify as they can develop in any region of the body. However, some helpful signs are still there in its development. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Uncomfortable while breathing
• Presence of noticeable lump which is usually not painful in the beginning.
• Increase in the size of swelling or lump that affects the nerves or muscle
• Symptoms of Bone Sarcoma

Compared to tissue sarcoma, osteosarcoma is pretty visible and it develops quite early. Here are some of the most common symptoms of bone sarcoma:

• Pain in the body around the affected bone
• Excessive soreness and aching in bones especially at night
• Noticeable and painful swelling
• Develop a limit if it occurs in your leg

Osteosarcoma is quite prevalent in youngsters and children than adults. Hence if you experience such symptoms, don’t always mistake them for casual pain or swelling from sports or games. It’s usually bigger than that and if you experience the pain majorly at night then ask for immediate help and support from your doctors.

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Risk Factor of Sarcoma

The cause of the Sarcoma is still unclear to researchers and scientists working on its development. However, some suggestive risk factors can contribute towards its leading cause.

Here are some noteworthy risk factors that increase the rate of sarcoma occurrence in the human body:

• Inherited Syndromes: Inheritance of any cancerous disease plays a consequential part on the progeny or the next generation. If there are syndromes like familial retinoblastoma and neurofibromatosis type 1 in your family then, unfortunately, you have a higher chance of developing sarcoma.
• Chemical Inhalation or Use: Harmful chemicals also contribute to sarcoma growth. Hence if you live under the exposure of Industrial chemicals then there's a higher risk of developing sarcoma that mainly affects the liver.
• Radiation therapy for cancer: If you’ve undergone radiation treatment for cancer then there’s a risk of developing sarcoma later in life.
• Exposure to Virus: The virus called herpesvirus 8 is also one of the biggest reasons behind the contribution of sarcoma. It causes Kaposi’s sarcoma which is a type that weakens the immune symptoms and makes you more prone to deadly diseases.
• Lymphedema: Lymphedema is a condition where swelling occurs due to the backup of lymph fluid when there's a blockage in the lymphatic system which leads to the risk of developing angiosarcoma (as discussed above).

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of sarcoma is done by various tests and procedures to comprehend the various stages of tumour development. Here are some of the common diagnostic steps for sarcoma identification:

• Physical Exam: Physical exams consist of checking the changes in the body such as the development of the lumps and other noticeable symptoms of sarcoma.
• Biopsy: Biopsy is a procedure that involves inspection of the suspicious tissue for lab testing to determine any growth signs and symptoms.

Biopsy is done by either piercing a needle through the skin or cutting away the tissue during operation depending on its location.

• Scans and other Imaging Tests: Imaging tests help to recognize the change in the body through X-rays and other tests depending on your situation. Imaging tests like MRI are helpful in identification of connective tissue problems. While other tests like ultrasound, scans and positron emission tomography scan also help to identify sarcoma better.

Treatment options of Sarcoma avialable at Oncoplus Hospital,Delhi.

Sarcoma is majorly treated by surgery through removing cancer. However, other treatments are used after or before the surgery. Not all surgery types work on all sarcoma as each one is different based on their situation. Here are some of the most common treatment for sarcoma:

Surgical Operation

Surgery helps to remove the cancerous cells of the sarcoma hence stopping it from spreading to the rest of the body. Sometimes when the condition is severe then there’s a need to amputate the arm or the leg of the body to stop cancer from growing to the other parts of the body. However recently the surgeons are trying to preserve the limp function to the extent that is possible. Surgical operation for sarcoma also results in hurting significant structures in the body such as nerves and organs to remove the sarcoma to the best way possible.

Chemotherapy

It’s one of the most common ways to treat cancerous cells through drug treatment with the help of chemicals to kill the growing cells. Chemotherapy can help with treatment for some types of sarcoma to stop its growth.

Radiation Therapy

Its a type of cancer treatment that involves the use of beams of intense energy to kill the growing cancerous cells in the body. Radiation therapy uses X-rays and also protons and other types of energy to neutralise the growing disease. It’s an external therapy where the radiation comes from the machine and moves around your body.

Immunotherapy

It’s a drug treatment that works by strengthening the immune system enough to fight out the cancerous cells.

Ablation Therapy

Ablation therapy involves destroying cancerous cells by the use of electricity to heat the cells, or use extreme cold liquid to freeze the cells. Even high-frequency ultrasound waves are also used to destroy the damaging cells to remove the growing tumour.

Consult the cancer specialist at Oncoplus Hospital, Delhi.