Bone and Soft Tissue Oncology
Patient and Family Education
Sarcoma
What are the Types of Sarcoma?
Bone Tumors
Fat Tissue Tumors
Muscle Tissue Tumors
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Leiomyosarcomas are tumors that develop from smooth
muscle tissue. (Smooth muscle is the type of muscle over which your brain
doesn't have conscious control such as the muscle fibers in the uterus or
the walls of blood vessels.) They can be found anywhere in the body, but
are usually detected in the uterus or gastrointestinal tract.
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Rhabdomyosarcomas are tumors that resemble developing
skeletal muscle. Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common type of childhood soft
tissue sarcoma. These tumors tend to grow most often in the arms and legs,
but can also develop in the head or neck area, and in the urinary and reproductive
organs.
Nerve Tissue Tumors
- Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a cancer of the
cells that surround the nerves. MPNST is also called neurofibrosarcoma.
- Alveolar soft-part sarcomas are tumors that begin in the nerves to
the muscles in the arms and legs. This sarcoma is a rare form of cancer most
often found in young adults.
Blood and Lymph Vessel Tumors
- Kaposi's sarcoma is a cancer of the lining of the lymph nodes or
blood vessels. It occurs most often in AIDS patients.
- Angiosarcomas are malignant tumors that may develop in either blood
or lymphatic vessels.
- Hemangiopericytomas are tumors that begin in the blood vessels in
the arms, legs, trunk, head and neck.
Joint Tissue Tumors
- Synovial Sarcomas are tumors made up of cells that resemble the cells
in joints. ("Synovial cells" line the joints.) However, synovial sarcomas
don't necessarily occur in joints. Synovial sarcomas can be found anywhere
in the body, and are often diagnosed in young adults.
Fibrous Tissue Tumors
- Fibrosarcomas are tumors in the fibroblast-type cells, which are
the cells that form scars and perform other important connective tissue functions.
- Desmoid Tumor is not strictly a sarcoma since it is not technically
a malignancy. However, there is a risk that a Desmoid tumor may recur and
become malignant.
- Malignant fibrous histiocytomas are tumors that begin in fibrous
tissue in the legs. They are most commonly found in older adults.
This page was last updated on: September 21, 2009.