She first played the piano at age 4, then went on to become a concert pianist. Her career and even her life were threatened when doctors discovered a large tumor in her upper arm. The performer learned that this was a typical site for her particular type of soft tissue sarcoma. While a generation ago, amputation would have been her only choice, doctors were able to save both her life and her ability to perform on the stage.
What is a Soft Tissue Sarcoma?
According to the National Cancer Institute, a soft tissue sarcoma is a cancerous tumor that arises in tissues that connect, support or surround other types of structures and organs of the human body. Examples include muscles, tendons, fibrous tissue, fat, blood vessels, nerves and synovial tissue.
The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center indicates that there are really more than 50 different types of soft tissue sarcomas and sarcoma-like growths. Both children and adults can develop them.
Most soft tissue sarcomas come with no early symptoms. This is because they occur in soft tissue that’s usually elastic in nature and that gets pushed out of the way as the tumor grows. There is no routine screening test to detect them before the patient develops symptoms.
The signs of this kind of cancer include a noticeable lump or swelling and pain if the growth presses on nerves or muscles. Within the digestive tract, a patient might experience a blockage in the stomach or intestines or even bleeding in the gut.
Around 60 percent of all soft tissue sarcomas occur in the arms, legs, hands or feet, according to the Mayo Clinic. Ten percent occur in the head or neck, while the remaining 20 percent develop in the chest and abdomen. Fortunately, only around 10,000 cases of this kind of cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States.
The type of soft tissue sarcoma a patient has depends on the tissue in which the tumor originates. Experts recognize 11 types as being the most common:
Rhabdomyosarcoma. This type of growth is more common in children than in adults. It develops in the muscles of the skeleton.
Leiomyosarcoma. It develops in the smooth muscles of the body, the ones the patient cannot control by will. The most frequent sites include the uterus, lining of blood vessels and the gastrointestinal tract.
Hemangiosarcoma. Blood vessels of the arms, legs and trunk are the most common sites of this type of soft tissue sarcoma.
Kaposi’s sarcoma. Frequently associated with the presence of deficiencies in the immune system like HIV/AIDS, this type develops in the walls of blood vessels.
Lymphangioisarcoma. It sometimes arises in an area of the body where the patient underwent radiation therapy or occurs after specific rare and chronic infections. It affects the lymphatic system and is sometimes associated with lymphedema, a chronic swelling of a limb.
Dermatofibrosarcoma. This kind of soft tissue sarcoma develops in the tissue underneath the skin. The patient’s trunk or limb is the most common site.
Treatment for a soft tissue sarcoma includes surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy. The type of tumor the patient has is one factor in determining the treatment or combination of methods most likely to be effective. The other considerations are the size, location and stage of the sarcoma.
