What is Sarcoma?
“Sarcomas are cancers originating in bone or soft tissues, for example, fat, muscle, nerves, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, or deep skin tissue. Soft tissue sarcomas are more common in adults and bone sarcomas are more common in children,” explained Steve Kim, M.D., FACS, surgical oncologist and member of the Sarcoma Oncology Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) at Karmanos.
Sarcoma Risk Factors
Some familial (i.e., inherited) cancer syndromes increase a person’s risk of developing soft tissue sarcomas. Unlike many other cancers, lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet and exercise are not linked to the risk of soft tissue sarcoma.
Sarcoma Treatment at Karmanos Cancer Institute
Sarcomas on the extremities most frequently present as slowly growing masses. Given their rarity and potentially aggressive nature, it is important that treatment be done at a major cancer center with experience in these tumors, like Karmanos. At Karmanos, sarcoma is treated by the Sarcoma Oncology MDT, which includes surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, pharmacists, dietitians, social workers, and genetic counselors. The team focuses entirely on treating sarcoma malignancies and shares its collective expertise to create a customized treatment plan for each patient.