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Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Summary
Your soft tissues connect, support, or surround other tissues. Examples include your muscles, tendons, fat, and blood vessels. Soft tissue sarcoma is a cancer of these soft tissues. There are many kinds, based on the type of tissue they started in. They may cause a lump or swelling in the soft tissue. Sometimes they spread and can press on nerves and organs, causing problems such as pain or trouble breathing.
No one knows exactly what causes these cancers. They are not common, but you have a higher risk if you have been exposed to certain chemicals, have had radiation therapy, or have certain genetic diseases.
Doctors diagnose soft tissue sarcomas with a biopsy. Treatments include surgery to remove the tumor, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination.
NIH: National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
Patient Handouts
- Adult soft tissue sarcoma Medical Encyclopedia
- After chemotherapy – discharge Medical Encyclopedia
- Rhabdomyosarcoma Medical Encyclopedia
Find an Expert
- American Cancer Society American Cancer Society
- Find a Cancer Doctor American Society of Clinical Oncology
- National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute
- NCI Designated Cancer Centers National Cancer Institute
Diagnosis and Tests
- Can Rhabdomyosarcoma Be Found Early? American Cancer Society
- Can Soft Tissue Sarcomas Be Found Early? American Cancer Society
- Stages of Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma National Cancer Institute
- Stages of Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma National Cancer Institute
- Stages of Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma National Cancer Institute
- Tests for Rhabdomyosarcoma American Cancer Society
- Tests for Soft Tissue Sarcomas American Cancer Society
- TP53 Genetic Test National Library of Medicine
Treatments and Therapies
- Chemotherapy for Soft Tissue Sarcomas American Cancer Society
- Drugs Approved for Rhabdomyosarcoma National Cancer Institute
- Drugs Approved for Soft Tissue Sarcoma National Cancer Institute
- Radiation Therapy for Soft Tissue Sarcomas American Cancer Society
- Surgery for Soft Tissue Sarcomas American Cancer Society
- Treatment of Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma National Cancer Institute
- Treatment Option Overview (Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma) National Cancer Institute
- Treatment Option Overview (Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma) National Cancer Institute
- Treatment Option Overview (Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma) National Cancer Institute
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Rhabdomyosarcoma National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Sarcoma National Institutes of Health
Genetics
- Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Ewing sarcoma: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
- Li-Fraumeni syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
Reference Desk
- Dictionary of Cancer Terms National Cancer Institute
Start Here
- General Information about Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma National Cancer Institute
- Soft Tissue Sarcoma Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- What Is a Soft Tissue Sarcoma? American Cancer Society
Children
- General Information about Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma National Cancer Institute
- General Information about Childhood Soft Tissue Sarcoma National Cancer Institute
Statistics and Research
- Key Statistics about Soft Tissue Sarcoma American Cancer Society
- NIH Scientists Map Genetic Changes That Drive Tumors in a Common Pediatric Soft-Tissue Cancer National Cancer Institute
- Survival Rates for Soft Tissue Sarcoma American Cancer Society
Living With
- Living as a Soft Tissue Sarcoma Survivor American Cancer Society
NIH MedlinePlus Magazine
Journal Articles
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Risk Factors for Soft Tissue Sarcoma American Cancer Society
- What Causes Soft Tissue Sarcomas? American Cancer Society
Related Issues
- Soft Tissue Sarcomas and Agent Orange Department of Veterans Affairs
Encyclopedia
- Synovial biopsy Medical Encyclopedia
Specifics
- What Is Rhabdomyosarcoma? American Cancer Society