How does a soft tissue sarcoma appear on a regular xray?
i have a mass on my finger that i had xrayed and they said it showed up as swelling in the xray, but im scared it could be a soft tissue sarcoma...what are characteristics of soft tissue sarcomas?? i have had this mass on my finger for about six months now with no pain, so the doctor said its just a tendon sheath tumor? anyone know about sarcomas or xrays?
im really worried...i know im probably just paranoid but im scared
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Please take Panda's excellent advice and pursue this with a sarcoma specialist if possible. I would at least recommend a biopsy, based on my own sarcoma experience. I had a "probably nothing" lump excised from my arm, and it turned out to be Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma. The good news is that the odds are in your favor - sarcoma is very rare, so chances are your doctor is right. But it's not worth the risk to just let it go. (
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Where can a physically handicapped 15 year old (post humerus allograft from Ewing's sarcoma) work?
I had Ewing's Sarcoma (bone cancer) in my arm, and had a allograft resection, and have radial nerve damage. Which means i cannot be a bus boy, or a stocker, i cannot lift heavy things, and have limited Range of Motion. Thank you all.
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do you know about sarcoma and is it possible that it goes to the brain?
I recently find out that I have sarcoma. I like to know more about it; especially if the informatin comes from pople who are effected.
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There are many different types of sarcoma. Which one you have will determine the path of metastasis, if it spreads. If you haven't already, check out the following websites. It will give you more information on the subtypes of sarcoma and put you in contact with online patient forums.
http://www.curesarcoma.org/
http://survivor-support.rare-cancer.org/forum/
http://www.sarcomaalliance.com/home.html
http://www.liddyshriversarcomainitiative.org/ (
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hi, my brother is fighting cancer and his dr mentioned new term "myxoid spindle cell sarcoma". please explain.?
We are told that there is new drug from Pfizer to treat this. Where can I get more details?
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Myxoid spindle cell is the kind of sarcoma your brother has. What details are you looking for? About the drug? You don’t give the name, but I guess you could go to Pfizer’s website.
When a doctor says something you do not understand that is the time to ask questions otherwise they are under the impression you understood them. Not communicating well with the doctor treating your brother can lead to frustration and other problems down the line. (
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Is it true that chemotherapy makes it worse when you have sarcoma cancer?
My cousin was diagnozed with the intestine cancer (I was told it was an uterine at first) a few weeks ago. The cancer has already spread to her lungs, kidneys and everywhere else. She had a surgery and they removed lots of it from the different parts of her body. She felt better but then the doctors run some tests and found out that it was a sarcoma type. I know that the sarcoma resists to the chemo therapy treatments but is it true that it might make it worse? I never heard of it but the doctor says that there is a chance that the chemo will make more damage than good. She was asking my mom whether she should go for chemo. Does anyone have any experience with sarcoma in such a late stage? What should we expect? What will happen next? And did someone at her situation lived for long? Is she going to experience a lot of pain? It's hard for me to ask these questions her doctor because she is in Europe and I get all information on the phone only. I am scared.
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There are over 60 different types of sarcoma and all are treated differently. So, it is difficult to respond to your question. It is not true however that sarcoma does not respond to chemotherapy. My son had a 75 percent response to first line high dose chemotherapy for abdominal sarcoma. He also underwent three major surgeries to remove the bulk of tumor. He had a treatment called intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemoperfusion to treat the microscopic cells embedded in the abdominal cavity. He has also undergone low dose chemo maintenance with no evidence of disease for 8 months. Currently his disease is stable and he is asymptomatic and living with cancer.
It is highly recommended that your cousin locate a sarcoma specialist or be treated at a sarcoma center. Sarcoma is extremely rare and needs to be treated by someone who has had experience with the disease. Most doctors and oncologist have never seen or treated this type of cancer . . and many patients are misdiagnosed and their treatment delayed or ineffective because of mismanagement.
Sarcoma Centers - includes centers around the world
http://www.sarcomaalliance.com/master.html?SubCategoryId=2
Find out the exact name of your cousins sarcoma and than look for specific information about the disease. You can also visit the Sarcoma Alliance for information:
http://www.sarcomaalliance.com/
Medline Plus: Soft tissue sarcoma
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/softtissuesarcoma.html
What is a soft tissue sarcoma
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_1x_what_is_sarcoma_38.asp
NIC: Soft tissue sarcoma
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/soft-tissue-sarcoma/
Cancerbackup: soft tissue sarcoma
http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Softtissuesarcomas (
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I have been diagnose with leiomyo sarcoma - does anyone have it. I have had my kidney out and the biopsy show?
I have been diagnose with leiomyo sarcoma - does anyone have it. I have had my kidney out and the biopsy showed that is was cancerous. The tumour was the size of two fists. I also have t have chemothrapy as a bit of i was in my lungs. My health is generally good, as I use to do keep fit twice a week. Does anyone know what the pronosis is.
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Maybe it would be better for you to ask where experienced people can give you support as well as answering your questions.
Here's a link to the Macmillan org uk who can give all kinds of help and have information online on leiomyosarcoma, other cancers and help of all kinds. Whatever the prognosis, stay determined and eat healthily to give your body and mind the best chance to fight for recovery. All the very best to you.
The link:
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/HowWeCanHelp/HowWeCanHelp.aspx
"From our local information and support centres and cancer support groups to our benefits advisers and cancer support specialists, we can help you find the practical, medical, financial and emotional support you need.
Ask Macmillan 0808 808 00 00
If you have any questions about cancer, ask Macmillan. If you need support, ask Macmillan. Or if you just want someone to talk to, ask Macmillan."
Back again! They have active forums and a real time 'live' chat room where you can talk to others there :) On this page of the Macmillan website:
http://community.macmillan.org.uk/forums/ (
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What kind of cancer can you have from a soft tissue mass/tumor in the knee besides Sarcoma?
They found a 3cm soft tissue mass in the posterior of my knee almost 2 weeks ago. It is eroding the lateral side of my medial femoral condyle and they think it has torn my PCL. I was referrred to an orthopedic onocologist b/c they couldn't determine if it was cancerous by MRI, CAT scan, or Bone Scan I have had done. And my local orthopedic surgeon I have been seeing doesnt feel comfortable doing the biopsy b/c it is so 'aggressive'. And my ortho onocologist said its going to be a very "involved" surgery b/c it is so close to the major artery in my leg and other factors. But all 3 doctors I have been to have mentioned that it could be cancer but the only type that has been mentioned that I can remember was Sarcoma. Is there any other cancer that could be in the knee?
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Your cancer is not located in the knee joint or it would most likely be a bone tumor called an osteosarcoma. Since your tumor is instead located in the soft tissue that surrounds your knee one possibility would be a leiomyosarcoma which is a type of rare soft tissue sarcoma. Here is a basic web page on leiomyosarcoma
http://www.leiomyosarcoma.info/
Leiomyosarcoma is a rare and difficult to treat type of sarcoma.
I have a couple of suggestions for you. At all of your next Dr appts. either take real good notes or even better take someone else that you trust with you to take notes for you and to also listen. Ask the Drs to spell any words or terms with which you are not familiar.
My second suggestion would be not to spend a lot of time doing the "what if" game until you know exactly what type of tumor you are dealing with. Wasting your time with speculation will just cause you mental grief and lack of sleep for no good purpose. Don't read too much until you know what you actually need to read about or you will just scare yourself needlessly.
The web page below will give you a list of all the various benign and malignant soft tissue tumors. Until you have the pathology report back from your biopsy any guessing as to what type of tumor you have will be speculation so concentrate on keeping your spirits up and getting organized. You have at least one major surgery in your near future so you need to concentrate on the things you know and can control and not spend time worrying trouble until trouble worries you.
http://www.emedicine.com/orthoped/topic377.htm
I would get a referral to a teaching hospital or major cancer center for surgery by an expert orthopedic surgeon who works exclusively with tumors located in or near joints. This will give you much better odds on maintaining good knee function after the surgery than if your surgeon is less experienced and just doing the best job he can.
good luck (
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What is unspecified Sarcoma and how bad is it for a 39 year old woman?
She is a friend and told me what she had and I just am trying to understand what it is and how bad things are. She had 8 tumors in her leg.
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It means that they don't know exactly what type she has yet.
Sarcoma is a cancer of the connective tissue. The connective tissue includes muscle, bone, fat, nerve, cartilage, blood vessel, and deep skin tissue. Connective tissue is present throughout the body, so sarcoma can occur in any location. Two thirds of sarcomas are located in the extremities (arms or legs). Because it is so rare and it takes multiple forms in multiple locations, sarcoma is difficult to detect, often misdiagnosed and complex to treat.
My oldest brother had soft tissue Sarcoma (fibro) of the cervical spine...he was diagnosed when the cancer was in "stageIV" and there wasn't much they could do...Sarcomas are very complex to treat!... The prognosis with sarcomas is poor unfortunately:-(
Some of the most common subtypes of sarcoma are listed below.
Liposarcomas are malignant tumors which develop from fat tissue. They can develop anywhere in the body, but they most often grow in the retroperitoneum (tissue at the back of the abdominal cavity).
Leiomyosarcomas are malignant tumors which develop from smooth muscle tissue. (Smooth muscle is the type of muscle over which your brain does not have conscious control like the muscle fibers in the uterus or in the walls of blood vessels.) They can arise anywhere in the body but the uterus or gastrointestinal tract are two relatively common locations for leiomyosarcoma.
Rhabdomyosarcoma are malignant tumors which resemble developing skeletal muscle. These tumors most commonly grow in the arms or legs, but can also develop in the head or neck area, as well as the urinary and reproductive organs.
Synovial Sarcoma is a malignant tumor made up of cells which resemble the cells in joints. ("Synovial cells" line the joints.) However, synovial sarcoma does not necessarily arise in any joint, and the name is probably a misnomer, since the cancer cells are probably quite different from normal joint cells. Synovial sarcomas can arise in any location in the body, and it often appears in young adults.
Angiosarcoma are malignant tumors that resemble blood or lymphatic vessels.
Fibrosarcoma is cancer of the fibroblast-type cells in the body which form scars and do other important connective functions.
Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor (MPNST) is a cancer of the cells that surround nerves -- it is also called neurofibrosarcoma.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) also known as GI Stromal Sarcoma is an increasingly recognized diagnosis of connective tissue cancerous cells which support the GI tract.
Desmoid Tumor is not strictly a sarcoma since it is not technically a malignancy. However, since it has risk of coming back, it is a tumor which generally should be managed by a team skilled in sarcoma management.
Ewing's Sarcoma is also known as Peripheral Neuroectodermal Tumor (PNET). It is a class of diseases which arise from very primitive cells in the body. Although this is usually thought of as a bone tumor, Ewing Sarcoma is increasingly recognized to arise in soft tissues in the body as well.
Osteosarcoma (also known as osteogenic sarcoma) is a tumor of cells which form bone.
Chondrosarcoma is a tumor of cells which form cartilage. (
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What are the stages of Kaposi Sarcoma?
I'm trying to research for the stages of Kaposi Sarcoma (type of cancer), however I can't find and valid sites with the proper information. Help please!
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You can find legitimate information for Kaposi sarcoma at the National Cancer Institute. Staging is a bit different with Kaposi which uses the TIS system. The TIS measures the size of the tumor, status of immune system, and spred of disease:
NCI: Kaposi sarcoma
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/kaposis/Patient
You can find staging at cancer.net, which is the ASCO website:
cancer.net: Kaposi sarcoma TIS staging information
http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Sarcoma+-+Kaposis?sectionTitle=Staging (
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What are some oral manifestations of Kaposi's Sarcoma and where can I get photos of this disease?
I am doing a research paper on this subject and have not been able to find some oral manifestations or photos thus far. Any ideas?
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involvement of the oral cavity is seen after that of the extremities and face. the oral lesions are same as cutaneous nodules i.e. they appear as reddish or brownish red nodules which may vary in size from a few mm to a cm or more in diameter. cervical lymph node and salivary gland involvement commonly precedes cutaneous and visceral involvement in African children.
u may refer to textbook of Oral Pathology(Shafer), PubMed, http://www.hivdent.org/slides/ (for pictures).. (
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