Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Newly Diagnosed?
We Can Help

Information for those newly diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma

Most soft tissue tumors are lipomas -- benign fatty tumors usually composed of mature fat cells. Those few that are malignant, or cancerous, are termed sarcomas. Soft tissue sarcomas originate in such tissues as fat, muscles, nerves, tendons, and blood and lymph vessels.

Sarcomas are unusual in that they can occur in any site of the human body, although about one half occur in the limbs. There are more than 50 different types of soft tissue sarcomas and sarcoma-like growths. (Sarcomas that originate in the bone are known as osteosarcomas and are covered in our Bone Cancer section. Children can also develop sarcomas, information about which can be found in our Pediatric Sarcoma pages.)

In this section, you can find information about our expertise in treating patients with soft tissue sarcomas, our services, and our research.

Newly Diagnosed
When it comes to soft tissue sarcoma, where you're treated makes all the difference. Our uniquely experienced team will help you to achieve the best possible outcome.
Our Approach & Expertise
Memorial Sloan-Kettering doctors generate more than half of the world's research publications on soft tissue sarcomas and have the most extensive experience with these tumors of any medical group.
Our Team of Experts
Information about Memorial Sloan-Kettering's soft tissue sarcoma specialists, their education, training, board certifications, current publications, and specific areas of clinical expertise.
Overview
Soft tissue sarcomas arise in such tissues as fat, muscles, nerves, tendons, and blood and lymph vessels -- the soft tissues that connect, support, and surround other parts of the body.
Risk Factors
Doctors recognize some familial syndromes that can predispose people to sarcoma, including neurofibromatosis, Gardner's syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, and retinoblastoma.
Symptoms
Because they occur in soft, usually elastic tissue that is easily pushed out of the way by a growing tumor, soft tissue sarcomas often do not cause early symptoms.
Diagnosis
Memorial Sloan-Kettering doctors lead the world in characterizing sarcomas molecularly and genetically, improving the accuracy of diagnosis.
Staging
Once all of the necessary diagnostic tests have been completed, doctors will use this information to "stage" the sarcoma tumor, a process that designates how aggressive the tumor is and how far it has spread.
Treatment
Although small sarcomas can be treated with surgery alone, the majority of sarcomas are routinely managed by a combination of surgery and radiation therapy.
Our Clinical Trials
This section offers a continually updated listing of Memorial Sloan-Kettering's current clinical trials for soft tissue sarcomas.
FAQs
Here you will find frequently asked questions about sarcoma, answered by Dr. Murray F. Brennan, former Chairman, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Survivorship & Support
In this section, you can find information about Memorial Sloan-Kettering's services for sarcoma survivors and strategies that have helped survivors and their families deal with an illness that has, in many cases, seriously disrupted their lives.

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