Sarcomas

Conditions and Treatments

Sarcomas may occur in the bone, soft tissue or in tissue near the bone. The form that develops in the bone is rare and may be benign or cancerous. Sarcomas that occur in soft tissue also are relatively rare and emerge in areas such as muscles, tendons, fat, blood vessels, nerves and tissue around the joints. Desmoid tumors, another form of sarcomas, develop in the tissues that form tendons and ligaments, usually in the arms, legs or abdomen and sometimes in the chest. They tend to form in children who have a family history of polyposis coli, a hereditary colon cancer. And a fourth form -- Ewing's sarcoma -- occurs in or near the bone. Doctors don't yet know the cause of Ewing's sarcoma and there is no evidence that this cancer is inherited. Pain, without any obvious injury, is the most common first symptom.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007