What is Sarcoma & Who is At Risk?

Unfortunately there are a wide variety of cancer types that can occur in the human body. One specifically rare cancer form is sarcoma, which grows in connective tissue unlike the more common carcinoma. There are over 50 different strands of sarcoma that are broken down into two distinct categories: soft tissue sarcoma and osteosarcoma (bone sarcoma). Though they are most commonly detected in the bones, muscles, tendons, cartilage, nerves, fat and blood vessels of your arms and legs, sarcomas have the ability to affect all parts of the body equally.

So who is at risk for developing sarcoma? Though the specific cause of sarcoma, and cancer in general, remains undiscovered, research has been able to pin down a few things that might increase your risk factor:

• Heredity - Like many health conditions, those that have family members that were affected by sarcoma in the past are more likely to develop the cancer themselves.
• Paget’s Disease - Those who have been diagnosed with Paget’s Disease, a rare chronic bone condition where one’s bones rebuild at a faster pace than normal, are at a higher risk. However, this disease only occurs in about 1% of people in the United States.
• Genetic Disorders - If you’ve been diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, Gardner syndrome, retinoblastoma, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, or any other form of genetic disorder, you may run a high risk of developing sarcoma later in life.
• Radiation - If you’ve had any kind of exposure to radiation or radiation therapy treatment, you may be more likely to fall victim to sarcoma.

Luckily, only about 1 out of 100 adult cancer cases are diagnosed as soft tissue sarcoma, and the odds are even more slim when it comes to osteosarcoma.

Although there are many different treatment options available, like most cancers, the best way to attempt to rid the body of sarcoma is with surgery. That’s where Great South Bay Surgical Associates can help. Our surgeons are the most knowledgeable in the industry, specializing in a wide variety or open and minimally invasive oncological surgery procedures.

For more information, click here or call 631-321-6801 to schedule a consultation.