As you know cancer is a disease which can emerge in any part of the body and may spread to other tissues and body part as well. Generally, you might have heard of cancers in organs of our bodies. But, did you know, there is cancer which can affect the soft tissues and even bones in our bodies?

What is Soft Tissue Sarcoma?

Sarcoma is a type of cancer which starts in the tissues and bones. The main two types of Sarcoma are Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma. 

Soft Tissue Sarcoma is cancer which affects the soft tissues of the body like, fat, nerves, muscle, fibrous tissues, blood vessels, or deep skin tissues. It can be found in any part of the body but mostly it starts from the arms or legs. It can also be seen in the trunk, head and neck region, internal organs and retroperitoneum- the back lining of the abdominal cavity or belly. 

Types of Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Soft Tissue Sarcoma can be both benignant or malignant. There are over 50 different types of Soft Tissue Sarcoma, some very rare, but the most common ones are listed here;

• Adult fibrosarcoma: This type of cancer usually affects the tissues in the trunk, arms or legs.
• Angiosarcoma: it can start in the blood vessels (called as hemangiosarcomas) or in lymph vessels (lymphangiosarcomas). It can also develop in parts treated with radiation. 
• Epithelioid sarcoma: it affects the tissues of skin under the hand, forearm, feet or lower leg. Young adults and teens are often affected by this. 
• Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST): it is a type of cancer that starts in the digestive tract.
• Kaposi sarcoma: it generally starts in the sell lining, lymph, or blood vessels.
• Liposarcomas: it is a malignant tumour found in fat tissues. It can develop in any part of the body but generally start in the thigh, behind the knee or inside the lining of the abdomen. 

Excerpts from our discussion with Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma. He is an expert in cancer treatment with over 18+ years in the field. He believes creating awareness can alone have a good amount of impact of decreasing the number of cancer patients in India.