Bone and Soft Tissue Oncology

Sarcomas are malignancies of connective tissue, e.g., bone, cartilage, skeletal or smooth muscle, fibroblasts, fat cells, and blood vessels. They may occur at any age. Specific sarcomas are characteristic of different age groups, and given the number of different types of tissues involved, it is not surprising that there are at least 70 different histological types of sarcoma.

Around half of the sarcomas occur in the lower extremity, but any site in the body from the scalp to the toes may be affected.

About half of bone and soft tissue sarcomas begin in an arm or leg
Around 40 per cent start in the torso or belly
About 10 per cent start in the head or neck

Types of Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas:

Many different types of bone or soft tissue sarcomas can develop and affect the tissues.

Angiosarcoma affects the blood or lymph vessels.
Chordoma forms in the spinal cord.
Chondrosarcoma forms in cartilage.
Ewing sarcoma develops in children in bone or soft tissue.
Fibrosarcoma forms in fibroblasts, common cells in connective tissue.
A Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) affects the digestive tract.
Liposarcoma forms in fat cells.
Myxofibrosarcoma forms in connective tissue.
Osteosarcoma develops in bone, one of the most common types of bone sarcoma.
Rhabdomyosarcoma forms in skeletal muscle.
Bone cancer starts in the bone, as opposed to spreading from an organ to the bones.
Soft tissue sarcoma starts in connective tissue.