Sarcoma

A sarcoma is a malignant (cancerous) tumor that develops in bone and/or soft tissue. Soft tissues support other body structures and include:

• Muscle.
• Fat.
• Tendons.
• Cartilage.
• Ligaments.
• Blood vessels.
• Nerves.

Sarcomas are rare, making up only 1% of all adult cancer diagnoses and about 15% of childhood cancer diagnoses. Approximately 16,000 sarcomas are diagnosed in the United States each year (around 4,000 bone sarcomas and approximately 13,000 soft tissue sarcomas).

Where are most sarcomas found?

Sarcomas can form in various parts of your body — anywhere from your head to your toes:

• 40% occur in your lower extremities (legs, ankles, feet).
• 15% occur in your upper extremities (shoulders, arms, wrists, hands).
• 30% occur in your trunk/chest wall/abdomen/pelvis.
• 15% occur in your head and neck.

What are the types of sarcoma?

Sarcoma refers to a large group of cancers in bone and/or soft tissue. There are more than 70 known subtypes of sarcoma.

Bone sarcomas

Primary bone sarcoma is cancer that starts in the bone. More than one-third of bone sarcomas are diagnosed in people younger than 35 years old. Many are diagnosed in children.

Types of primary bone sarcoma include:

• Osteosarcoma (most common).
• Chondrosarcoma.
• Chordoma.
• Ewing’s sarcoma.
• Fibrosarcoma.

Unlike primary bone cancer, metastatic bone cancer starts in another location (such as an organ) and travels to the bone. This cancer comes in many forms, often traveling from your thyroid, lung, kidney, breast or prostate.

When cancer from a distant organ spreads to your skeleton, it can create structural problems in your bones that may cause pain and reduce functioning.

Soft tissue sarcomas

Soft tissue sarcomas begin in the muscle or other connective tissues of your body. Unlike bone sarcomas, most soft tissue sarcomas occur in adults. Certain types of sarcoma, such as rhabdomyosarcoma, are found mostly in children.

Types of soft tissue sarcomas include:

• Angiosarcoma.
• Desmoplastic small round cell tumors.
• Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).
• Leiomyosarcoma.
• Liposarcoma.
• Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor.
• Malignant schwannoma.
• Myxofibrosarcoma.
• Rhabdomyosarcoma.
• Synovial sarcoma.
• Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma.

Who is affected by sarcoma?

Sarcoma affects both children and adults. Generally, soft tissue sarcoma occurs more frequently in adults. Bone sarcoma diagnoses occur more often in children, teens and people older than 65 years. Bone sarcoma occurs more frequently in people assigned male at birth and people who are Black or Hispanic.