Sarcoma Treatment

Sarcoma is a broad group of cancers, with over 70 known subtypes that can be grouped into two categories — bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Bone sarcomas can occur in bone and cartilage. Soft tissue sarcoma can form in muscles, fat, nerves, tendons, blood vessels, and joint lining.

Learn more about this rare form of cancer and how it can be treated at The Oncology Institute.

Sarcoma Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of sarcoma can vary depending on the tumor’s location and how far the cancer has developed. Some soft tissue sarcomas have mild symptoms and signs in the early stages. For example, pain and swelling can sometimes be misdiagnosed as other conditions — like growing pains for teenagers or a general sports injury.

As sarcoma worsens, some of the most common signs and symptoms include:

A lump under the skin that may be painful.
Occasional pain in the affected bone, which worsens at night.
Unexpected broken bones.
Abdominal pain.
Unexplained weight loss.

Risk Factors of Sarcoma

Sarcoma can affect both children and adults. However, it is unclear how sarcoma is caused outside the general knowledge of cancer — cell DNA mutations that grow and divide uncontrollably.

While there is no exact cause, the following factors may increase your risk of developing sarcoma:

Chemical exposure: Industrial chemicals and herbicides can increase sarcoma risk, especially in the liver.
Current health conditions: Certain health conditions — such as chronic swelling from lymphedema or Paget’s disease — can increase the likelihood of specific sarcoma subtypes.
Genetic predisposition: You are at risk for sarcoma if a family member has had sarcoma or genetic disorders like neurofibromatosis, retinoblastoma, or Gardner syndrome.

How Sarcoma Is Diagnosed

Just because your blood test results are normal, sarcoma cannot always be ruled out right away. Instead, diagnosing sarcoma is generally done through other methods, such as:

Biopsy: A sample of cells from the supposed tumor is taken to be examined under a microscope.
Imaging tests: This non-invasive approach allows doctors to see inside the body with imaging options such as ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRIs.
Bone scans: Bone scans use nuclear imaging and can look specifically for bone sarcoma — also known as osteosarcoma.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute myeloid leukemia
Bladder cancer
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Choriocarcinoma
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
Colon cancer
Endometrial cancer
Esophageal/esophagus cancer
Gallbladder cancer
Gastric cancer
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors
Head and neck cancer
Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Kaposi’s sarcoma
Kidney (renal cell) cancer
Larynx cancer
Leukemia

Liver cancer
Lung cancer
Male breast cancer
Melanoma
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Multiple myeloma
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Non-small cell lung cancer
Osteosarcoma
Ovarian cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Prostate cancer
Rectal cancer
Renal cancer
Sarcoma
Skin cancer
Small cell lung cancer
Soft tissue sarcomas
Testicular cancer
Throat cancer
Thyroid cancer
Uterine cancer

Sarcoma Treatments at The Oncology Institute

The Oncology Institute offers the following sarcoma treatment options. Our health professionals will work with you to figure out the best option depending on the sarcoma’s subtype, location, and malignancy:

Radiation therapy: A therapy that kills cancer cells and reduces tumor size using high-powered energy beams.
Chemotherapy: A standard drug cancer treatment using chemicals to kill cancer cells.
Immunotherapy: A drug treatment that boosts your body’s immune system to fight off cancer cells.

Contact Our Experts Today

The Oncology Institute team is experienced in the leading-edge cancer care treatments of today. In addition to sarcoma treatment, we offer comprehensive lab testing, financial counseling, clinical trial availability, and end-of-life counseling for cancer patients and their loved ones.

We recognize that every cancer story is unique, and we are determined to help you along the way. Contact us to request an appointment.