What are the symptoms of soft tissue sarcoma?
A malignant tumor originates in the body’s soft tissues, such as muscles, connective tissue, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, nerves, ligaments, and adipose tissue.
Among the different types of cancer, sarcomas are among the rarest. The most affected areas of the body are the legs and arms, but sarcomas can also develop at the level of the trunk, head and neck, and the abdominal cavity.
There are many types of soft tissue sarcoma, which differ depending on the location of the tumor’s origin: angiosarcoma, which forms from cells of a blood or lymphatic vessel; fibrosarcoma, from fibroblasts;
Leiomyosarcoma, of a smooth muscle tissue cell; liposarcoma, adipose tissue; rhabdomyosarcoma, skeletal muscle tissue; gastrointestinal stromal tumor, which originates in the digestive system; Kaposi’s sarcoma of the skin, intestine, or mucous membranes. Bone sarcomas include osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and Ewing’s sarcoma.
What are the symptoms of sarcoma?
In general, sarcoma does not produce symptoms early; however, it is pretty vague when it grows.
When the sarcoma is located in the lower limbs and upper limbs, there is swelling at the level of the tumor, which is not always accompanied by pain.
On the other hand, if the neoplasm originates in the abdominal cavity, the most typical symptoms are bleeding and intestinal obstruction.
What are the causes of sarcoma?
It is very difficult to find out the causes and risk factors common to all types of sarcomas. Some of the known risk factors that are identified are:
- Predisposition to diseases of genetic origin, such as neurofibromatosis, Gardner syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, and retinoblastoma
- Exposure to radiation, for example, from the previous radiotherapy.
- Surgical removal of lymph nodes and chronic lymphedema
Can it be prevented?
Unfortunately, this type of cancer cannot be prevented, and there are no early detection programs. However, suppose you have had a case of sarcoma in the family. In that case, you can access genetic tests to detect hereditary syndromes that predispose to the development of this type of neoplasia.
Which is the treatment?
The treatment of sarcoma requires the collaboration of different specialists due to how this type of neoplasm develops. Surgical treatment is the first option in case of localized tumors.
Surgery is used to radically remove the tumor together with the adjacent tissues. The risk of cancer attacking the surrounding tissues and causing metastasis is exceptionally high in the case of sarcoma.
Radiation therapy helps shrink the sarcoma before surgery; after surgery, radiotherapy is indicated in the most aggressive forms to reduce the risk of recurrence. Chemotherapy is used in the presence of metastases.
