What Is SarcomaOverview, Treatment, Prognosis
OverviewSarcoma is a rare cancer in adults that roughly affects 1% of adults. It is made up of various subtypes because it can grow in a variety of tissue structures such as nerves, muscles, joints, bone, fat, and blood cells; also known as the bodies connective tissues. In some cases Sarcoma can arise in less common areas of the body such as the breasts, lungs, stomach, ovaries, etc. Sarcomas are commonly hidden deep in the body, often diagnosed when it has become too large to cure.
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TreatmentSarcoma is sometimes curable by surgery, or by surgery with chemotherapy and/or radiation. Although very few have the possibility of a cure, more than 50% of people with Sarcoma are completely resistant to all of these approaches- thus the extreme need for new therapeutic approaches.
PrognosisThe survival rate for Sarcoma is based on a 5 year relative survival rate. When first diagnosed if the Sarcoma is localized (The cancer is limited to the part of the body where it originated) survival rate is 81%. If it is regional (The cancer has spread to nearby structures/lymph nodes) the survival rate is 58%. If the cancer returns in a different location than where it originated the survival rate drops down to 16%. These numbers are only applicable to the stage of the cancer upon first diagnostics. They do not apply later if the cancer grows, spreads, or comes back.
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