1. Marjorie Hunter
June 9, 2013
*

2. *
*Have you ever heard or know what sarcoma is?
*I am sure that everyone in this audience has
known someone who has been affected by
cancer. It is a diagnosis that no one ever wants
to hear.
*Eleven years ago I found out what sarcoma is,
my youngest sister was diagnosed with it. It
sent my family into a research frenzy on just
what sarcoma is.

3. * Sarcoma is a rare form of cancer that
affects the connective tissues of the
body. It can form anywhere in the body
from the head to the toes. There are
two main groups of sarcoma.
* Soft Tissue Sarcoma: this form of
sarcoma affects the muscles, nerves,
tendon’s, blood vessels, joints, and
lymph nodes.
* Osteosarcoma, commonly referred to as
Bone Cancer.
* Between the two sub-groups there are
over 30 recognized forms of sarcoma.
*

4. * Sarcoma accounts for only 1% of adults
with cancer and 15% of children with
cancer.
* If you are diagnosed with sarcoma it is
critical that you seek treatment at a
hospital that has its own sarcoma
center.
* Because of the rarity of this disease
not every oncologist will know how to
give you effective treatment.
*

5. * When you are diagnosed with sarcoma
you will meet with a multidisciplinary
sarcoma team.
* The team consists of a Medical
Oncologist, Surgical Oncologist, Radiation
Oncologist, and a Pathologist.
* The next step is obtaining a biopsy and
cat scans to determine the exact type of
sarcoma, and what stage it is at.
* It is also important to find if the cancer
has spread to other parts of your body.
* The higher the grade of cancer, the less
likely you are to survive the disease.
*

6. * Treatment for sarcoma depends on the grade
and the location of the tumor.
* Surgery is the most common form of treatment
to remove the tumor and the surrounding tissue.
* Surgery may be followed by radiation and / or
chemotherapy to help minimize the risk of
reoccurrence.
* Radiation is used in other cases to reduce the
size of the tumor with the hope that it can then
be surgically removed.
* Brachytherapy is when radioactive seeds are
implanted into the tumor and then removed
after 15 minutes. This is repeated 3 times over
the span of a day.
* Chemotherapy is used to kill the cancer cells –
there are many forms of chemotherapy
available.
* For osteosarcoma sometimes the limb needs to
be amputated. Other ways of treating
osteosarcoma is by replacing the bone with a
bone from a cadaver, or by building an artificial
bone made up of steel rods.
*

7. *
*In conclusion, if you feel a lump anywhere in
your body, get it checked out!
*The larger a tumor grows, the harder it is going
to be to have a successful treatment.
*If it is sarcoma find a qualified sarcoma center
immediately!

8. *
* “Sarcoma” Cancer.net Editorial Board
1/2013 http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/sarcoma
* “Bone Cancer” Cancer.net Editorial Board
10/2012 http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/bone-cancer
* “Sarcoma” Cancer.net Editorial Board
1/2013 http://www.cancer.net/cancer-
types/sarcoma/treatment
* Sarcoma – Connective Tissue Cancer Maxwell V. Blum Cancer
Resource Room
2008
http://www2.massgeneral.org/cancerresourceroom/types/sar
coma/illustration/sarcoma.asp
* Medical Horizons
4/20/2013 http://www.medical-horizons.net/blog-
view.php?id=59
The Foot and Ankle Online Journal by Emmanuel P. Estrella, MD1 , Edward
HM Wang, MD1, MSc, Leo Daniel D. Caro, MD1, Vicente G. Castillo, MD
3/1/2009 http://faoj.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/fossfig3c.jpg