What is Sarcoma?
Sarcomas are a rare group of cancers that develop in the bones and soft tissues, including fat, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, deep skin tissues and fibrous tissues. In most cases, it’s not clear what causes sarcoma. Family history and exposure to chemicals or radiation may increase risk.
Sarcomas can grow locally and invade nearby tissues. They can go undetected for a long time, and people often notice a lump that may or may not hurt and has grown over time.
Sarcomas can occur in many parts of the body, but are most often in the arms and legs
Types: There are different types of sarcoma based on where the cancer forms;
- Soft tissue sarcoma characterized by a painless lump or swelling in the arms, legs, chest, or abdomen.
- Bone sarcoma characterized by pain and/or swelling in an arm or leg, the trunk, the pelvis, or the back.
There are over one hundred subtypes of sarcoma as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Examples include: Osteosarcoma in bones, liposarcoma in fat, and rhabdomyosarcoma in the muscles.
Symptoms:
A hard mass or pain, often due to pressure on nearby nerves and soft tissues
Treatment:
Options include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and ablation therapy
Download
Article on Giant Cell Tumor of Bone
Watch: Giant Cell Tumor of Bone
Lecturer by Dr. Kevin A Raskin MD on Giant Cell Tumor of Bone.
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The management of osteosarcoma in children and adolescents in a resource-limited setting.
Watch: Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation of Bone Lesions
A Lecturer by Dr. Dipak B. Ramkumar MD, MS
Watch: Ewing Sarcoma of Bone
A Lecturer by Dr. Mark C. Gebhardt , MD
Resources to Learn More About Sarcoma
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EARLY DETECTION AND TREATMENT OF MUSCULOSKELETAL SARCOMAS
A Guide For Primary Healthcare Workers
Watch: Primary Bone Tumors
Listen to Dr. Nicholas Okumu speak about primary bone tumors during a live session at the Ortho-Pediatrics & Oncology Conference 2024, which was produced by the Harvard Global Orthopaedics Collaborative & SONA Global. Other specialist speakers included: Dr. Fabiola A. R. Meza, Dr. Nick Were, Dr. William Mgisha, Dr. Waleed Mekki, Dr. Zubair Khalid, Dr. Megan Anderson, Dr. Cecilia Belzarena, Dr. Amanda McCoy, Dr. Mark Gebhardt, Dr. Carrie Heincelman, Dr. Saad Llyas, Dr. Dipak Ramkumar, Dr. Kevin Raskin and Dr. Mihir Thacker.
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A comprehensive overview of common musculoskeletal tumors.
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Challenges of setting up an orthopaedic oncology service in low and middle income countries.
Watch: Osteosarcoma - Diagnosis, Treatment, and Research Advances
A Lecturer by Dr. Cecilia Belzarena, MD, MPH, MBA
Printing of the manual and this digital learning platform has been made possible by the generous donations from Sarcoma Strong.
Some of our other partners that we collaborate with include;
