More On Sarcoma
July is Sarcoma Awareness Month
Sarcoma is broken down into two types: bone tumors and soft tissue tumors.
Bone sarcomas are rare types of cancer that mainly affect children and young adults. There are several types of bone sarcomas that typically affect different parts of bones and joints. The cancerous tumors can grow in any bone in the body; however, most occur in the arms or legs.
The most common bone sarcomas include:
• Osteosarcoma (tumor usually develops in the ends of long bones where new bone tissue forms),
• Ewing's sarcoma (tumor usually develops in the middle of large bones such as pelvis, thigh, upper arms and ribs), and
• Chondrosaroma (found mainly in adults, this type of tumor forms in the cartilage that cushions joints).
Bone sarcomas account for only 0.2% of all cancers in the United States. There are approximately 2500 new cases a year. Bone tumors have a higher incidence of spreading to other parts of the body, especially the lungs, so extra tests are taken to determine if spread of the disease has occurred.
Soft tissue sarcomas come in many forms:
• angiosarcoma (blood vessels)
• fibrosarcoma (connective tissue)
• gastrointestinal stromal tumor (digestive system)
• Kaposi's sarcoma (skin)
• liposarcoma (fat)
• leiomyosarcoma (smooth muscle)
• malignant fibrous histiocytoma (connective tissue)
• neurofibrosarcoma (nerves)
• rhabdomyosarcoma (skeletal muscle) and
• synovial sarcoma (often near joints, but can occur anywhere).
Soft tissue sarcomas account for only 1% of all cancers in adults. There are approximately 7000 new cases a year in the United States.
The most common sites of origin are the extremities (legs and arms); however, sarcomas can arise in any part of the body - including the abdomen, pelvis and head/neck region.
For more information about the Sarcoma Program at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, visit UMCCC (www.mcancer.org).
For more information about Sarcoma Research from The SARC Clinical Research Committee, which is based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, visit The SARC (www.sarctrials.org).