Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Overview

Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of rare cancers that develops in tissues surrounding and connecting organs and other parts of the body, such as muscle, fat, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels.

Signs and Symptoms

Soft and painless lump or swelling, Abdominal pain, Persistent feeling of fullness, Constipation, Persistent dry cough, Shortness of breath, Chest pain, Uterine bleeding, Increase in uterus size, Unintended weight loss, Loss of appetite, Fatigue

Common Causes

DNA genes, Family history of cancers

Risk Factors

Increasing age, Previous radiotherapy treatment or other exposure to high doses of radiation, Occupational exposure to chemicals such as vinyl chloride, phenoxyacetic herbicides and dioxins, Having genetic conditions such as retinoblastoma, neurofibromatosis type 1, nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, Gardner syndrome, and Li-Fraumeni syndrome, People who develop lymphedema after removal of lymph nodes during breast surgeries, Having a weakened immune system due to conditions such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Investigation Techniques

Medical history, Physical examination, X-rays, Ultrasound, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the affected area, Computerised tomography (CT) scan of the affected area, Biopsy such as core needle biopsy, incisional biopsy and excisional biopsy, Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

Treatment and Prevention

Surgical removal of the tumour, Radiation therapy such as external-beam radiation therapy, proton beam radiation therapy, brachytherapy and intraoperative radiation therapy, Chemotherapy, Targeted therapy such as Imatinib, Immunotherapy, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy, Palliative care