Cancer.Net Guide
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Name of Sarcoma |
Tissue Type |
Angiosarcoma |
Blood or lymph vessels |
| Ewing’s sarcoma/PPNET (peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor) | Mesenchymal (bone or soft tissue) stem cells |
Fibrosarcoma |
Fibrous tissue (tendons and ligaments) |
Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) |
Specialized muscle cells of the digestive tract |
| Kaposi’s sarcoma | Blood vessels |
Leiomyosarcoma |
Smooth muscle |
Liposarcoma |
Fat tissue |
| Myxofibrosarcoma (myxoid malignant fibrous histiocytoma [MFH]) | Connective tissue |
Neurofibrosarcoma or malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor |
Peripheral nerve |
| Pleomorphic sarcoma, not otherwise specified (NOS) (MFH) | Unknown |
Rhabdomyosarcoma |
Skeletal muscle |
Synovial sarcoma |
Unknown |
Grade is the term a pathologist (a doctor who specializes in interpreting laboratory tests and diagnosing disease) uses to describe how aggressive the sarcoma is likely to be. A low-grade tumor usually stays in one place. A high-grade tumor is more likely to spread to other places, a process known as metastasis.
Experts have identified many types and subtypes of sarcoma. Pathologists are now trying to find new ways to quickly determine a tumor's subtype, as this helps determine treatment. Examination of a tumor's abnormal genetic code may help determine its characteristics and predict which treatments will be most effective. For at least one type of sarcoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), major advances have been made in targeted therapy (drug treatments targeted to specific genetic abnormalities in the sarcoma cell).
Statistics
In 2009, approximately 10,660 people (5,780 males and 4,880 females) will be diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma in the United States. An estimated 3,820 adults and children (1,960 males and 1,860 females) are expected to die of the disease this year.
The overall five-year relative survival rate (percentage of people who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases), combining all stages and types of sarcoma, is approximately 50%. If the sarcoma is diagnosed at an early stage and hasn’t spread from the original location of the tumor, the five-year survival rate is 83%. The five-year survival rate for cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes is 54%, and the five-year survival rate is 16% if cancer has spread to other parts of the body. However, if the sarcoma is located in an arm or leg, the five-year survival rates are slightly higher for each stage.
Cancer survival statistics should be interpreted with caution. These estimates are based on data from thousands of cases of this type of cancer, but the actual risk for a particular individual may differ. It is not possible to tell a person how long he or she will live with sarcoma. Because the survival statistics are measured in five-year intervals, they may not represent advances made in the treatment or diagnosis of this cancer.
Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2009, and from data from the National Cancer Institute and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Find out more about basic cancer terms used in this section.
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