A sarcoma is a malignant tumor.
Sarcoma is a concept that comes from the Latin word sarcōma . This term, in turn, has its etymological origin in a Greek word that refers to a growth or swelling of the flesh .
In the field of medicine , a sarcoma is a malignant tumor that occurs in a muscle, a bone, a blood vessel or another type of connective tissue . These tumors have a fleshy appearance.
Emergence of a sarcoma
Sarcomas are generated from the mesenchyme : the embryonic connective tissue, from which lymphatic vessels, blood vessels, muscle tissue and connective tissue derive. In this way, sarcomas arise from embryonic cells that are part of the mesoderm.
This detail differentiates sarcomas from carcinomas , which constitute another type of tumor. Carcinomas are generated by epithelial cells, something that does not occur in the case of sarcomas.
Diagnosing a sarcoma can be difficult.
Classification according to type
There are different kinds of sarcomas. Osteosarcomas or sarcomatous osteomas constitute bone cancer (or bone cancer ), which usually develops at the ends of the diaphysis of the longest bones.
Soft tissue sarcomas , on the other hand, arise in the muscles , blood vessels and nerves . If the sarcoma appears in the lymphatic vessels, it is called lymphangiosarcoma .
Fibrosarcomas , angiosarcomas , liposarcomas , leiomyosarcomas , and rhabdomyosarcomas are other known types of sarcoma that can affect people.
It is important to mention that the severity of sarcomas depends on each case, with treatments such as chemotherapy or surgical interventions available for their elimination.
Sarcoma risk factors
The causes of soft tissue sarcoma are not known, as is the case with other types of cancer, including brain tumors or osteosarcoma . Likewise, almost all cases that have been diagnosed are not linked to a particular risk factor . However, in certain tumors there are predominant risk factors, such as the following:
- Rare inherited diseases (mainly Von Recklinghausen and neurofibromatosis, both related to certain types of sarcomas).
- Having undergone radiotherapy sessions some time before, something that increases the chances of developing sarcomas. It is worth mentioning that the cancer resists treatment especially strongly in these cases.
The symptoms
Regarding the symptoms that tell us about the imminent appearance of a soft tissue sarcoma, the first of them is the presence of a palpable soft tissue mass. When there are no obvious signs of infection , detecting inflammation is not very easy, since this type of sarcoma is usually located in deep areas. In addition, it is important to note that they generally do not cause pain and their growth takes place at high speed.
On the other hand, pain may appear if the size becomes considerable, since the mass begins to press on certain muscles and nerve endings, or even some organs. When a sarcoma develops in the abdomen, it is common for it to grow too large before a person detects it. To complicate matters further, the doctor must make sure that it is not a benign tumor before rushing to make a diagnosis . As expected, this usually leads to late diagnoses and, consequently, inadequate treatments for a time.
To prevent this from happening, specialists have determined three risk criteria , in the face of which they must suspect that the tumor is not benign, but rather a soft tissue sarcoma: if its size exceeds 5 cm, it grows very quickly or its location is deep, so it needs to be treated as such.