Should soft tissue sarcomas be treated at a specialist Centre?

Conclusion. Soft tissue sarcomas are rare. Centralization of treatment improves local control in all patients and survival in some. Appropriate mechanisms for ensuring that patients with soft tissue sarcomas are seen and treated at specialist centres should be developed.

What is the most important clinical investigation for soft tissue sarcomas and why?

The most important part of the diagnosis is a biopsy of the tumour. This is mainly performed under local anaesthetic in the clinic, and every biopsy and histological diagnosis is examined and reviewed by a specialist sarcoma pathologist.

How do you approach soft tissue sarcoma?

The standard approach to diagnosis of a suspicious mass is core needle biopsy—several cores should be taken to maximise diagnostic yield. However, an incisional biopsy may be necessary on occasion and excisional biopsy may be the most practical option for superficial lesions <5 cm diameter.

What is sarcoma?

A sarcoma is a type of cancer that starts in tissues like bone or muscle. Bone and soft tissue sarcomas are the main types of sarcoma. Soft tissue sarcomas can develop in soft tissues like fat, muscle, nerves, fibrous tissues, blood vessels, or deep skin tissues. They can be found in any part of the body.

What is the treatment for sarcoma?

In general, sarcoma treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. For example, treatment for osteosarcoma may involve nine weeks of chemotherapy, surgery to remove the tumor and rebuild the bone and another five months of chemotherapy. However, experiences may differ for different people.

When should you suspect sarcoma?

In particular, we recommend all lumps >4cm should be investigated to obtain a diagnosis, and anyone with bone pain and reduced function of the limb or with night pain should be investigated for a bone sarcoma.

What is the treatment of sarcoma?

Is sarcoma easy to treat?

A sarcoma is considered stage IV when it has spread to distant parts of the body. Stage IV sarcomas are rarely curable. But some patients may be cured if the main (primary) tumor and all of the areas of cancer spread (metastases) can be removed by surgery. The best success rate is when it has spread only to the lungs.

What happens if sarcoma is not treated?

If a sarcoma is not treated, the cells continue to divide and the sarcoma will grow in size. The growth of the sarcoma causes a lump in the soft tissues. This can cause pressure on any body tissues or organs nearby. Sarcoma cells from the original area may break away.

How can you prevent sarcoma?

The only way to prevent some soft tissue sarcomas is to avoid exposure to risk factors whenever possible. Still, most sarcomas develop in people with no known risk factors. At this time, there’s no known way to prevent this cancer.

Are sarcomas treatable?

Treatable sarcomas cannot be totally removed from the body but can be controlled for some time with treatments. In many cases, stage I to stage III sarcoma is curable and stage IV, or metastatic, sarcoma is treatable.

Why find support for sarcoma treatment?

Find Support. There are numerous and important reasons why someone who has been diagnosed with sarcoma should be treated at a center where there is an interdisciplinary medical team that has experience in treating this rare disease. Let’s say you’ve received a new diagnosis of sarcoma.

Where can I be referred for a sarcoma diagnosis?

Patients with a suspected soft tissue or bone sarcoma should be referred for diagnosis at a sarcoma specialist centre or at a d iagnostic clinic under the direction of a sarcoma specialist centre. This section gives details of the sarcoma specialist centres/ multidisciplinary teams (MDT) in the UK.

What are the treatment options for sarcoma in London?

The Royal Marsden offers a full range of soft-tissue sarcoma diagnosis, treatment and care services for patients at its hospitals in Chelsea, London, and Sutton, Surrey: Cancer genetics. Surgery. Chemotherapy. Radiotherapy. Critical care. Rehabilitation. Palliative and supportive care.

What can I expect from a specialist sarcoma specialist?

Sarcoma specialists usually work with a team, so if the primary sarcoma specialist is an expert, you can expect him or her to have the best and most experienced pathologists and radiologists and other allied health professionals to help.