Bone and Soft Tissue Oncology

Patient and Family Education

Sarcoma

Diagnosis and Treatment

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The first step in diagnosing sarcoma is having a discussion with your doctor about your medical history. You may discover that you have some risk factors you are unaware of. You will also want to get a thorough physical examination.

Your doctor may give you a blood test to check for an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase. Alkaline phosphatase can be found in high levels when a broken bone is mending itself or when young bones are growing rapidly. High alkaline phosphatase levels don’t necessarily indicate sarcoma, but they do signify a need for more tests.

Your doctor may then decide to give you an X-ray or an ultrasound, which uses sound waves to identify a tumor. Once a tumor has been identified, your doctor may perform a computed tomography (CT scan) or a magnetic resonance imaging test find out the tumor’s exact size and shape, and to see if it involves surrounding tissue or bone marrow space.

To make a definite diagnosis of sarcoma, however, your doctor must perform a biopsy. A biopsy is a procedure in which tissue from the tumor is removed and examined under a microscope. If the tumor is small enough, a physician can remove the entire tumor. This is called excisional biopsy. If only a small part of the tumor is removed, the procedure is called an incisional biopsy. Your doctor may chose to do a third type of biopsy called a needle biopsy, in which a sample of the tumor is taken out through the skin by a needle.

Soft tissue sarcomas are treated using surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Depending on the size, location, extent and severity of the tumor, a combination of all or some of these treatments may be used. Biological therapy (treatment to stimulate the body’s immune system to fight cancer) is being used in clinical trials.

The treatment of bone cancer also depends on the size, location, type and severity of the bone cancer. Surgery is often the primary treatment. While amputation of the limb is sometimes necessary, using chemotherapy either before or after surgery has allowed doctors the opportunity to save the limb in many cases. Radiation therapy may also be used alone or in combination with the other treatments.

To learn more about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of sarcoma, see the following detail pages:

The University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center treats most forms of sarcoma in its Bone and Soft Tissue Oncology Program, which is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians and researchers who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of sarcomas.

To make an appointment or to talk with someone about our treatment programs and services, call the Greenebaum Cancer Center’s toll-free number: 1-800-492-5538 / Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

This page was last updated on: September 21, 2009.