The month of July is Sarcoma Awareness Month, honoring all who have been affected by this rare and often deadly form of cancer. The observance is also used to raise awareness of the needs of those living with the disease, including patients, caregivers, families, and friends.
Sarcoma is a broad term for a group of over 70 types of cancers that begin in the soft tissue and bones.
Sarcoma is one of the rarest forms of cancer, affecting less than 1 in 1M individuals.
In the United States, over 17,000 people were diagnosed with sarcoma in 2022.
Sarcoma is often referred to as the “forgotten” or “lonely” cancer, as it accounts for less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses.
The disease can develop anywhere in the body, with an estimated 60% of tumors occurring in the arms and legs, with others forming in the hands, shoulders, chest, abdomen, and hips.
Sarcoma attacks the soft tissues within the body, including fat, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and at times, cartilage and bones.
It can be a challenging disease to detect as it often shows few side effects. It is known to be a rather deadly form of cancer, as the disease is often very advanced by the time it is diagnosed.
Traditionally, sarcomas are divided into two main categories, the first being soft tissue sarcomas, including:
- Leiomyosarcoma (LMS): typically affects the abdomen or the uterus
- Liposarcoma: usually occurs in adults and affects the knee and the thigh
- Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma (UPS): also known as Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma or Malignant Fibrous Cytoma, this form often affects the legs, particularly the thighs
Additional sarcomas fall under the umbrella of bone sarcomas, including:
- Chondrosarcoma: affects the cartilage within the body, such as the ears and nose; it can also form at areas at the ends of a bone where it meets another bone
- Ewing sarcoma: can occur in the soft tissue or bone; this type is more common in children and teens
- Osteosarcoma: typically affects long bones like the legs (around the knee), or the arm (around the shoulder)
Below are some additional sarcoma statistics:
- Approximately 20% of all childhood cancers are sarcomas
- At any one time, more than 20,000 patients and their families are struggling with the disease
- Over 7,000 Americans will die of sarcoma this year
- 5-year survival rates range from:
- 87% (when found localized), to
- 83% (when found spread to surrounding tissues, organs, or lymph nodes), to
- 55% (when spread to other regions of the body)
Treatment Options for Sarcoma
Individuals diagnosed with sarcoma have several treatment options:
- 20% of sarcomas are treatable by surgery
- Another 55% of sarcomas are treatable by a combination of surgery paired with either chemotherapy or radiation
- The remaining percentage is either not able to be treated (too advanced or inoperable due to location) or resistant to all other treatment options, including chemotherapy and radiation
There are several ways to get involved in #WearYellowDay2023 on July 12th:
- Show your support for those with epilepsy by wearing the color yellow
- Shout out Wear Yellow Day on your social media accounts
- Use the tag @CureSarcoma on Twitter and Facebook
- Include any of these hashtags: #SarcomaAwarenessMonth #SarcomaAwareness #CureSarcoma #cancer #sarcoma
Clincierge loves to get involved in the organizations that support our clinical trial patients, caregivers, families, and friends. In past years, our team has also observed the following:
#ShareYourColours 2023 for Rare Disease Day, Learn more here.
#WearRed Day 2022 for American Heart Month
#Walk2EndAlz 2022 for Alzheimer’s disease
Read our blogs related to Alzheimer’s Disease:
#Purple Day 2023 to raise awareness for rare epilepsies. Learn more here.
