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What is a Sarcoma Tumor?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

A sarcoma tumor is a malignant growth which appears in the connective tissue, with doctors classifying sarcomas as cancers because of their malignancy. Sarcomas can develop in muscle, bone, fat, and cartilage, and they metastasize by breaking off and traveling in the blood to new regions of the body. Like other malignant tumors, a sarcoma tumor can be deadly, and the treatment outcome for the patient is greatly improved if the tumor can be caught as early as possible.

Tumors arise when a problem occurs during cell division, leading cells to start replicating wildly, rather than just replicating enough cells to replace dead and damaged cells. In the case of a sarcoma, the tumor usually starts in mesenchymal cells, stem cells which can differentiate into bones, muscles, tendons, and other connective tissues. As the tumor grows, it produces a lump of tissue which can start to spread to neighboring regions, or distribute itself to other parts of the body as discussed above.

Medications may be required to treat a sarcoma tumor.
Medications may be required to treat a sarcoma tumor.

When a doctor suspects that a patient may have a sarcoma, he or she usually requests a biopsy, in which a sample of the tissue is taken for examination. During the examination, a pathologist will look at the sample under a microscope to learn more about it. He or she can confirm that the growth is a sarcoma, rather than a benign tumor, and additional information about the level of malignancy can be gathered as well.

Some, but not all, sarcoma tumors can be surgically removed.
Some, but not all, sarcoma tumors can be surgically removed.

Part of the identification of the sarcoma tumor involves a classification of the type of connective tissue it arose in. An osteosarcoma, for example, is a tumor which started in the bone, while an adenosarcoma emerges in glandular tissue. In the case of a sarcoma which has metastasized to other parts of the body, it can be important to identify the tissue where the sarcoma originally appeared, so that the malignancy can be tracked down and hopefully eradicated.

An osteosarcoma is a tumor located in a bone, usually one of the body's longer bones found in the legs or arms.
An osteosarcoma is a tumor located in a bone, usually one of the body's longer bones found in the legs or arms.

Treatment for a sarcoma tumor typically includes an excision of the tumor, and the use of drugs which are designed to inhibit the recurrence of the tumor. In cases where the tumor cannot be removed, medications will be used in an attempt to stop the tumor from getting any bigger, and drugs may also be able to shrink the tumor. Both the sarcoma and the treatment can be very painful for the patient, requiring a pain management program and a great deal of communication between the patient and the primary care provider to ensure that the patient's health and comfort are being closely monitored.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a TheHealthBoard researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a TheHealthBoard researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon262850

My in law has sarcoma and it has spread from the pelvic area, to the hip and back and is now in the arms. The doctor did an mri and CT scan that my relative has six months -- max -- to live.

anon205090

my brother has sarcoma in the muscle of his hip and he goes for surgery on the 29th and we are scared. during his biopsy he flatlined and we just lost our dad to cancer and he passed during surgery. my brother said he has had it diagnosed for at least two years so what do we do? how long does he have? can anyone help?

pharmchick78

@Charlie89 -- Since there are so many different kinds of soft tissue sarcomas, there is no one "general" prognosis.

The prognosis will depend on where in the body the sarcoma is located, and how advanced it is when it is caught.

All soft tissue sarcomas are graded according to severity, from grade one, where the sarcoma is small and has not metastasized, to grade four, where the tumor has grown large and metastasized to distant parts of the body.

The lower the grade; the better the prognosis.

Charlie89

Does anybody know the general prognosis for soft tissue sarcoma?

LittleMan

One fairly rare type of sarcoma tumor is a squamous cell sarcoma.

Although sarcomas usually form in deeper tissue than the squamous cells, on rare occasions they will form in the skin.

As long as they are caught early and treated properly, squamous cell sarcomas have a fairly good prognosis, although they are prone to recurrence.

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    • Medications may be required to treat a sarcoma tumor.
      By: gosphotodesign
      Medications may be required to treat a sarcoma tumor.
    • Some, but not all, sarcoma tumors can be surgically removed.
      By: llhedgehogll
      Some, but not all, sarcoma tumors can be surgically removed.
    • An osteosarcoma is a tumor located in a bone, usually one of the body's longer bones found in the legs or arms.
      By: rob3000
      An osteosarcoma is a tumor located in a bone, usually one of the body's longer bones found in the legs or arms.
    • After a sarcoma tumor biopsy, a small piece is examined under a microscope to see whether or not it is benign.
      By: luchschen_shutter
      After a sarcoma tumor biopsy, a small piece is examined under a microscope to see whether or not it is benign.