Sarcoma

Sarcoma - What it is

What is sarcoma?

Sarcomas are rare and aggressive cancers in the bones and tissues | SingHealth

Sarcomas are rare and aggressive cancers that begin in the bones and connective tissues (e.g cartilage, muscle, tendons). Sarcomas are broadly divided into two categories; soft tissue and bone sarcomas.

Sarcomas comprise <1% of all malignancies in adults and 20% of childhood malignancies. Different subtypes of sarcoma affect patients from different age groups. Sarcomas are rare cancers. From 2012 to 2021, the National Cancer Centre Singapore saw approximately 1,700 cases of sarcoma.

What are the types of sarcomas?

There are more than 70 types of soft tissue sarcoma, some of these include:

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) – usually forms in the digestive tract, tend to be large and can spread to other parts of the body
Liposarcoma – originates in fatty tissue with some types being more aggressive than others
Leiomyosarcoma – forms in the smooth muscle tissue that lines hollow organs. In women, the uterus is the most common location for this type of sarcoma.
Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) – can form anywhere, usually occurs in the abdomen, on arms and legs (especially thighs), and grows and spreads quickly to other parts of the body.
Synovial sarcoma – more common in children and young adults. Usually occurs on the arms, legs, finger and toes.

Some types of bone sarcoma are:

Osteosarcoma – also called osteogenic sarcoma, these begin in cells within the bones and often occur in the arms and legs
Chondrosarcoma – starts in the cartilage, often found in the pelvis, upper leg and shoulder bones
Ewing sarcoma – can occur in any bone and can also occur in soft tissue, most commonly affects the pelvis, thigh, lower leg, upper arm and chest wall
Chordoma – a rare form of bone sarcoma that can occur in the skull or spine
Giant cell tumours – a rare form of bone sarcoma that can grow quickly and become cancerous, often forms near the joints