Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of rare cancers that occur in adults and children and account for <1% of all adult malignancies, affecting the muscles, tendons, fat, blood vessels, nerves, and lymph vessels. Although they can develop practically anywhere on the body, including the head, neck, and trunk, soft tissue sarcomas most frequently affect the arms, legs, abdomen, and retroperitoneum. Soft tissue sarcomas can take many different forms.
Soft tissue sarcomas may have no symptoms at the beginning. Then, may appear as a painless lump under the skin, often on the legs or arms. Sarcomas that begin in the abdomen may not have signs or symptoms until they become large. As the sarcoma spreads, it presses on nearby organs, nerves, muscles, or blood vessels, signs and symptoms depend on the location and may include:
swelling under the skin may cause a painless lump that cannot easily be moved around and gets bigger over time
swelling in the abdomen may cause pain, the feeling of fullness, and constipation
swelling near the lungs may cause trouble breathing
You should visit your general practitioner if you noticed a lump that gets larger.
No clear reason is identified for getting soft tissue sarcoma. However, there are different factors that may increase the risk. For example,
Age: soft tissue sarcomas are common in middle-aged and elderly people, but it can also affect any age group including children.
Genetic disorders
Previous exposure to radiotherapy
Exposure to certain chemicals
Your general practitioner may refer you for a list of tests to confirm if you’re having soft tissue sarcoma.
Scans: ultrasound scan and MRI scan.
A biopsy – where a sample of suspected cancerous tissue is removed, using a needle or during an operation, so it can be analyzed in a laboratory
More tests could be required If a diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma is confirmed to determine how likely the cancer is to spread (known as the "grade"), and whether or how far cancer has spread (known as the "stage").
Your oncologist will choose the best treatment for you, and this depends on some factors such as where the cancer developed, the type of sarcoma, how far it has spread, your age, and your general health.
The main treatments are:
Surgery to remove any tumor
Radiotherapy – where high-energy radiation is used to kill cancer cells
Chemotherapy and other medicines to kill the cancer cells (Ex: dactinomycin, doxorubicin hydrochloride, eribulin, imatinib)
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