Symptoms

People with sarcoma may experience the following symptoms. Sometimes, people with sarcoma do not show any of these symptoms. Or, these symptoms may be caused by a medical condition that is not cancer. If you are concerned about a symptom, please talk with your doctor.

Soft tissue sarcoma rarely causes symptoms in the early stages. The first sign of a sarcoma in the limbs or trunk may be a painless lump or swelling, which should be reported to a doctor. Most lumps are not sarcoma. The most common soft tissue lumps are lipomas, which are made of fat cells and are not cancer. These lumps have often been present for many years and do not change in size. Lumps that begin changing in size, however, need to be brought to the attention of a doctor. People with sarcoma that starts in the abdomen may not have any symptoms or may have pain or a sense of fullness.

Because soft tissue sarcoma develops in flexible, elastic tissues, the tumor can often easily push normal tissue out of its way as it grows. Therefore, a sarcoma may grow quite large before it causes symptoms. Eventually, it may cause pain or soreness as the growing tumor begins to press against nerves and muscles.