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Soft tissue sarcoma

Malignant (cancerous) tumors that develop in soft tissue are called sarcomas, a term that comes from a Greek word meaning "fleshy growth." more...

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In this context, the term soft tissue refers to tissues that connect, support, or surround other structures and organs of the body. Soft tissue includes muscles, tendons (bands of fiber that connect muscles to bones), fibrous tissues, fat, blood vessels, nerves, and synovial tissues (tissues around joints).

There are many different kinds of soft tissue sarcomas. They are grouped together because they share certain microscopic characteristics, produce similar symptoms, and are generally treated in similar ways. (Bone tumors, also known as osteosarcomas, are also called sarcomas, but are in a separate category because they have different clinical and microscopic characteristics and are treated differently.)

Sarcomas can invade surrounding tissue and can metastasize (spread) to other organs of the body, forming secondary tumors. The cells of secondary tumors are similar to those of the primary (original) cancer. Secondary tumors are referred to as "metastatic soft tissue sarcoma" because they are part of the same cancer and are not a new disease.

Some tumors of the soft tissue are benign (noncancerous). These tumors do not spread and are rarely life-threatening. However, benign tumors can crowd nearby organs and cause symptoms or interfere with normal body functions.

What are the possible causes of soft tissue sarcomas?

Scientists do not fully understand why some people develop sarcomas while the vast majority do not. However, by identifying common characteristics in groups with unusually high occurrence rates, researchers have been able to single out some factors that may play a role in causing soft tissue sarcomas.

Studies suggest that workers who are exposed to phenoxyacetic acid in herbicides and chlorophenols in wood preservatives may have an increased risk of developing soft tissue sarcomas. An unusual percentage of patients with a rare blood vessel tumor, angiosarcoma of the liver, have been exposed to vinyl chloride in their work. This substance is used in the manufacture of certain plastics.

In the early 1900s, when scientists were just discovering the potential uses of radiation to treat disease, little was known about safe dosage levels and precise methods of delivery. At that time, radiation was used to treat a variety of noncancerous medical problems, including enlargement of the tonsils, adenoids, and thymus gland. Later, researchers found that high doses of radiation caused soft tissue sarcomas in some patients. Because of this risk, radiation treatment for cancer is now planned to ensure that the maximum dosage of radiation is delivered to diseased tissue while surrounding healthy tissue is protected as much as possible.

Researchers believe that a retrovirus plays an indirect role in the development of Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare cancer of the cells that line blood vessels in the skin and mucus membranes. Kaposi's sarcoma often occurs in patients with AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma, however, has different characteristics and is treated differently than typical soft tissue sarcomas.

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Doxorubicin with or without ifosfamide in treating patients with locally advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma - Clinical Trial Review
Sponsored by: EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Cooperative Group RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy such as doxorubicin and ifosfamide use different ...
A phase II randomized study evaluating the safety and efficacy of ABT-510 in subjects with locally advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma - Clinical
Sponsored by: Abbott Laboratories Purpose: The primary objective of this study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of ABT-510 in subjects with ...
Pencil-core granuloma of the distal radio-ulnar joint: An unusual presentation as soft-tissue sarcoma after 45 years
Received 26 April 2002; Accepted 9 July 2002 A case of pencil-gore granuloma occurring 45 years after the initial injury is described. The clinical and ...
Pulmonary Cysts as the Sole Metastatic Manifestation of Soft Tissue Sarcoma - )
Case Report and Consideration of the Pathogenesis A 29-year-old woman with an unusual form of pulmonary metastasis from epithelioid sarcoma of the ...
Improving the management of soft tissue sarcoma - Editorial
Diagnosis and treatment should be given in specialist centres "Musculoskeletal sarcomas comprise 1% of all malignancies and have traditionally been ...
Classification of positive margins after resection of soft-tissue sarcoma of the limb predicts the risk of local recurrence
We considered whether a positive margin occurring after resection of a soft-tissue sarcoma of a limb would affect the incidence of local recurrence. Patients with low-grade liposarcomas were expecte
Synchronous carcinoma and soft-tissue sarcoma: the importance of searching for incidental radiation exposure
A 68-year-old woman was found to have synchronous soft-tissue sarcoma of the anterior chest wall and adenocarcinoma of the breast. During her initial ...
Reconstructive treatment following resection of high-grade soft-tissue sarcomas of the lower limb
ABSTRACT Purpose. To review the role of free tissue transfer in reconstructive surgery following resection of highgrade soft-tissue sarcomas of the lower ...

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