Sarcomas affect certain tissues, including bone, skin and other soft tissues. According to New Orleans orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Meyer, soft tissue sarcomas originate in any part of the body and affect children as well as adults.
Fast Facts Regarding Sarcoma
Following are some key points regarding soft tissue sarcoma.
- Soft tissue sarcomas are somewhat rare tumors that affect tissues that connect, support or surround any of the body systems.
- There are over 50 different types of soft tissue sarcoma.
- Symptoms might not be obvious and in some cases, the only sign of sarcoma may be a lump.
- Pain can occur from the tumor’s location or how it affects nearby nerves.
- After a medical examination by your New Orleans orthopedic surgeon and discussion of a patient’s medical history, imaging scans will be performed to arrive at a diagnosis, which can be conclusively confirmed through laboratory analysis of a tumor sample.
- As for other forms of cancer, treatment can take include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
- Because the causes of sarcoma are mostly unknown, prevention is not possible, except that decreasing exposure to particular risk factors – such as radiation – may be valuable.
Symptoms Of Soft Tissue Sarcoma
According to your New Orleans orthopedic surgeon, people with soft tissue sarcomas can often go without symptoms because the tissue is often loose enough to have room for the lump without it being noticed.
The condition may not produce any signs until a lump gets larger, and even this may go unnoticed until the tumor causes pain in local tissues, nerves or muscles.
Specific symptoms may reflect the particular type of sarcoma. For example, Rhabdomyosarcoma, may produce symptoms that reflect the particular location affected:
If the eye is affected, it can cause pain or even an eye bulge.
- Nasopharyngeal cavity tumors may also cause pain, nasal congestion, discharge and changes to the voice.
- Abdominal pain or difficulty urinating can be the result of the genitourinary form of the condition.
- Tumors in the gastrointestinal system may bleed, so these sarcomas may be diagnosed by the presence of blood in the stool, or a stool that appears black or tarry.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and want to rule out soft tissue sarcoma – don’t hesitate – contact the office of New Orleans orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard Meyer today to schedule a confidential consultation.