Each year in the month of July, Awareness about this “Forgotten Cancer “is spread in the world.

 

Sarcoma Awareness Month aims to highlight the extraordinary challenges that sarcoma patients face, and provides information about the need for more Sarcoma research and better Sarcoma therapies. Sarcoma makes up about 15% of childhood cancers. Early diagnosis can increase the risk of survival by 20%

 

What should you know about Sarcoma?

Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer originating from soft tissue.

Sarcoma comprises many subtypes of cancer (bones, nerves, joints, muscles, fat, blood vessels). Our whole body is made up of tissue so it can arise anywhere in the body.

 

 

Common Sub-types:

 

– Bone sarcoma aka Osteosarcoma

It is the primary bone cancer which commonly occurs in thigh, upper arm or shin.

Its further subtypes includes Ewing’s Sarcoma, Chondroma and Chondrosarcoma

 

– Soft tissue sarcomas

This subtype can occur anywhere-inside and outside .It includes:

  • GIST is a common type of sarcoma; it develops in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, anywhere from mouth to anus.
  • Gynaecological sarcomas occur in female reproductive tract
  • Fibrosarcomas in fibrous connective tissue

Causes and Etiology:

Exact causal factors and mechanism are not known yet, some factors tend to increase the risk of developing sarcoma which includes age, any other cancer, genetic conditions such as retinoblastoma, exposure to toxins etc.

 

 

Presentation and Symptoms:

Sarcoma very unapologetically represent itself as painless lump on the affected site. The other signs and symptoms range very widely.

 

They can include:

  • Weight loss
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fever
  • Anemia
  • Pain
  • Local inflammation

 

So if someone feels a set of symptoms, unexplained pain or even just a lump then it should be considered suspicious enough to get it checked immediately.

 

Diagnosis:

In order to confirm a diagnosis, a number of tests are needed to confirm soft tissue sarcoma.

These include:

  • Physical exam by your doctor
  • Biopsy

Imaging tests such as MRI, CT scan, X-rays.

 

Treatment:

Treatment selection is a very critical step and it involves multiple factors to be taken into consideration.

Most commonly its SURGERY in which the cancerous part is excised and removed from body

 

Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy are also used prior surgery to reduce the size of cancerous tissue so that the affected tissue can be easily removed.

 

Our motive:

  • Our mission is to amplify sarcoma awareness so that no sarcoma case causes undiagnosed till it reaches lethal stage.
  • To tranform lives affected by sarcoma
  • To inspire involvement and fund ground breaking research about sarcoma

 

 

 

By

 

Kashaf Naveed

 

Team Content Writing

 

SHALAMAR LITERARY SOCIETY SMDC, Lahore