Soft Tissue Sarcoma—Patient Version

Soft tissue sarcoma is a broad term for cancers that start in soft tissues (muscle, tendons,
fat, lymph and blood vessels, and nerves). These cancers can develop anywhere in the
body but are found mostly in the arms, legs, chest, and abdomen. Explore the links on this
page to learn more about different types of soft tissue sarcoma and how they are treated.
We also have information about research and clinical trials.

The information in this section is meant to help you cope with the many
issues and concerns that occur when you have cancer.

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Symptoms

A soft tissue sarcoma may not cause any signs and symptoms in its
early stages. As the tumor grows, it may cause:

 A noticeable lump or swelling

 Pain, if a tumor presses on nerves or muscles

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your doctor if you have:

 A lump that is increasing in size or becomes painful

 A lump of any size that's located deep within a muscle

 Recurrence of a lump that's been removed

Causes

In most cases, it's not clear what causes soft tissue sarcoma.

In general, cancer occurs when cells develop errors (mutations) in

their DNA. The errors make cells grow and divide out of control. The
accumulating abnormal cells form a tumor that can grow to invade
nearby structures and the abnormal cells can spread to other parts of
the body.
The type of cell that develops the genetic mutation determines what
type of soft tissue sarcoma you have. For example, angiosarcoma
begins in the lining of blood vessels, while liposarcoma arises from fat
cells. Some types of soft tissue sarcoma include:

 Angiosarcoma

 Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans

 Epithelioid sarcoma

 Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)

 Kaposi's sarcoma

 Leiomyosarcoma

 Liposarcoma

 Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor

 Myxofibrosarcoma

 Rhabdomyosarcoma

 Solitary fibrous tumor

 Synovial sarcoma

 Undifferentiated (pleomorphic sarcoma)

Risk factors

Factors that may increase your risk of sarcoma include:

 Inherited syndromes. A risk of soft tissue sarcoma can be inherited

from your parents. Genetic syndromes that increase your risk include
hereditary retinoblastoma, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, familial adenomatous
polyposis, neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis and Werner syndrome.

 Chemical exposure. Being exposed to certain chemicals, such as

herbicides, arsenic and dioxin, may increase the risk of soft tissue
sarcomas.

 Radiation exposure. Previous radiation treatment for other cancers

can increase the risk of soft tissue sarcomas.
Information took from:
Cancer.gov
Mayoclinic.org