What is a sarcoma?
Are sarcomas common?
Where is the best place to go for treatment?
What is the difference between a growth, a tumor, and a malignant tumor?
What are the most common bone sarcomas?
What are the most common soft tissue sarcomas?
Can sarcomas spread?
What is bone cancer?
What are the symptoms of a sarcoma?
What will happen when the patient sees a LifeBridge Health cancer specialist?
What will happen during a biopsy?
How are sarcomas treated?
What about amputation?
Who will oversee the treatment?
How soon can the patient be seen?

What is a sarcoma?
A sarcoma is a cancer that starts in the bone or soft tissue, including fat, muscle, blood vessels, deep skin tissues, nerves, bones or cartilage.

Are sarcomas common?
No. Soft tissue sarcomas account for less than 1 percent of all adult cancers. There are around 7,000 cases diagnosed in the United States each year. Bone sarcomas account for .2 percent of all adult cancers, with about 2,500 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States.

Where is the best place to go for treatment?
Since sarcomas are rare, it is important to be treated at an institution like Sinai, which has experts in orthopedic oncology. The physicians in orthopedic oncology are among the top specialists in the country for treating bone and soft tissue sarcomas.

What is the difference between a growth, a tumor, and a malignant tumor?
A growth is a non-specific term describing a collection of tissue that is growing in a way that varies from normal tissue. A growth could be benign (non life-threatening), such as a cyst, or cancerous. A tumor is a lump of tissue that is growing. It can be benign or cancerous. A malignant tumor is a cancerous tumor that can grow.

What are the most common bone sarcomas?
The most common bone sarcomas include osteosarcoma, Ewing�s sarcoma and Chondrosarcoma. Please see the Cancer Institute glossary for more information about these types of sarcomas.

What are the most common soft tissue sarcomas?
The most common soft tissue sarcomas are malignant fibrous histiocytoma, liposarcoma, and fibrosarcoma. Other types of sarcomas include angiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, neurofibrosarcoma, rhabdomysarcoma, synovial sarcoma, gastrointestinal sarcoma and Kaposi�s sarcoma. Please see the glossary for more information about these types of sarcomas.

Can sarcomas spread?
Yes. A tumor can spread, or metastasize, through the bloodstream and lodge in other parts of the body, such as the lungs or the lymph nodes.

What is bone cancer?
Primary bone cancer, or a malignancy in the bone, is rare. It is more common for cancer to appear in the bone after it has spread from another part of the body, such as the lung, kidney, breast, prostate or thyroid.

What are the symptoms of a sarcoma?
Painless lumps may be evidence of a soft tissue sarcoma, but there may be no symptoms.

What will happen when the patient sees a LifeBridge Health cancer specialist?
The physician will talk to you and your family, do a physical examination and take a medical history. He may request radiological imaging, including standard X-rays, an MRI, a CT scan, a PET scan or a bone scan. A biopsy may also be required.

What will happen during a biopsy?
The physician will recommend either a core needle biopsy, which is less invasive and can be done in an office, or an incisional biopsy, which is performed in an operating room and provides more tissue for the pathologist to examine.

How are sarcomas treated?
Sarcomas are treated primarily with surgery. Bone sarcomas may be treated with chemotherapy. Some soft tissue sarcomas, depending on the type, location and size, may be treated with chemotherapy. Radiation may be used before or after surgery for some soft tissue sarcomas.

What about amputation?
Close to 95 percent of all sarcomas can be treated without amputation. Limb-sparing surgery consists of tumor removal, skeletal reconstruction and soft tissue and muscle transfers.

Who will oversee the treatment?
At Sinai Hospital, a multidisciplinary team of orthopedic oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, nurses, dieticians, social worker, patient navigator, and others will work together. Each patient receives an individualized treatment plan, with a personal approach.

How soon can the patient be seen?
Patients with urgent medical needs usually can be scheduled for an appointment within 48 hours.