Sarcomas are cancers that can arise anywhere within the body where there is bone, muscle, or connective tissue. They account for about 10 to 15 percent of all newly diagnosed cancers in children and young adults under the age of 20 in the United States.
Although rhabdomyosarcoma (a tumor arising from muscle), Ewing sarcoma (a tumor that typically arises from the bone), and osteosarcoma (a tumor that arises from bone) comprise the majority of sarcomas seen in children and young adults, other more rare forms of sarcomas can also develop. Patients with certain genetic syndromes such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome are predisposed to developing sarcomas. However, in the vast majority of our patients, there are no predisposing factors.
Appropriate imaging studies -- x-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, bone scans, and PET scans -- are performed to determine the extent of disease involvement. In addition, a biopsy is performed, in which a tiny piece of the tumor is removed by surgeons to be examined by pathologists, who specialize in the diagnosis of sarcomas. Within days, if a diagnosis of sarcoma (specifying the type and the extent of disease involvement) is confirmed, treatment begins rapidly.
