Brilio.net - Cancer is a disease caused by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. This abnormal cell growth can damage normal cells around it and in other parts of the body. Cancer is the second most common cause of death worldwide. Although symptoms generally do not appear early in its development, there are several factors that can trigger the growth of cancer cells, such as genetic changes, environmental factors, viral infections, lifestyle, and several others.
There are several types of cancer that attack the human body, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, and many more. Recently, a well-known Indonesian artist, Alice Norin, admitted that she was suffering from sarcoma cancer in the uterus.
Luckily, Alice Norin was able to fight the disease until she was finally declared cured. The twin princess model and actress revealed that her condition had stabilized. Even so, he has to check regularly every 3 months at a hospital in Singapore.
The emergence of this news has made many people curious about sarcoma cancer. Actually, what is sarcoma cancer? The following is a complete review as reported by brilio.net from various sources, Friday (17/5).
What is Sarcoma cancer?
sarcoma cancer
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Sarcoma cancer is a type of cancer that first appears in soft tissue, such as fat, muscle, nerves, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, or deep skin tissue. This type of cancer can appear in any soft tissue, but most often around the arms, hands or feet. Apart from that, this cancer can also attack the bones, and is known as osteosarcoma. There are more than 50 types of sarcoma, some of which include:
- Fibrosarcoma: Cancer that attacks fibrous tissue in the body.
- Angiosarcoma: Cancer that begins in the blood vessels or lymph vessels.
- Kaposi's Sarcoma: Cancer that first appears in the cells lining the lymph nodes or blood vessels.
- Leiomyosarcoma: Cancer that begins in smooth muscle tissue.
- Liposarcoma: Cancer that attacks fatty tissue.
- Rhabdomyosarcoma: Cancer that appears in soft tissue and most commonly attacks children.
- Synovial sarcoma: Cancer of the tissue around the joints.
- Clear cell sarcoma: Cancer that generally appears in the tendons in the hands and feet.
- Neurofibrosarcoma: Cancer forms in the peripheral nerve sheath.
Reported by brilio.net from City of Hope, surgeon William Tseng, MD, explained that sarcoma cancer is a very rare cancer. This occurs in only 1 percent of all cancers in adults. This disease is difficult to detect, unlike other types of cancer.
The fact you need to know is, sarcoma is as aggressive as other types of cancer, sarcoma cancer is even more aggressive. Sarcomas are indeed flesh tumors, but sarcomas grow, attack, spread and can even take a person's life, just like other types of cancer.
Symptoms of sarcoma cancer
Symptoms of sarcoma cancer vary depending on the type of sarcoma and the location where the cancer develops. The following are common symptoms that occur in sarcoma cancer:
1. Lumps that can be felt through the skin
The first sign that can indicate the possibility of sarcoma is the growth of a lump. Initially, this lump does not cause pain, although sometimes it can cause discomfort. As the tumor grows, the lump will increase in size and begin to press on nearby nerves and muscles.
2. Pain in the bones
Especially when there is a minor injury or no injury at all, bone pain can be a symptom of sarcoma.
3. Stomach ache
Some sarcoma sufferers experience stomach pain that has no clear cause.
4. Fever without clear cause
A fever that cannot be explained by an infection or other condition may also be a warning sign.
5. The body's range of motion becomes limited
Tumor growth can limit body movement and cause discomfort.
At the beginning of its development, the symptoms of sarcoma are often not felt. However, symptoms will begin to be felt when the tumor growth enters an advanced stage or when the tumor puts pressure on the surrounding nerves, organs or muscles. At this stage, cancer can cause pain, breathing problems, or a feeling of fullness in the stomach.
Causes of sarcoma cancer
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The cause of sarcoma cancer is not yet known with certainty, but research is continuing to understand more. Based on the researchers' preliminary conclusions, there are several factors that play a role in the development of sarcoma cancer:
1. Genetic and hereditary factors
Genetic syndromes can be the cause of sarcoma cancer. This genetic syndrome can be inherited and can increase the risk of developing sarcoma. These syndromes include Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Retinoblastoma, and Gardner Syndrome.
2. Exposure to radiation
The next factor that can cause sarcoma cancer is people who have undergone radiation therapy to treat other cancers. This can pose a high risk for sarcoma cancer to grow in areas exposed to radiation.
3. Chemical exposure
Chemical exposure can also cause sarcoma cancer to appear. Exposure to chemicals such as herbicides, arsenic, and dioxins can increase the risk of sarcoma.
4. Certain health conditions
Poor health conditions such as chronic lymphedema, namely chronic swelling of the arms or legs (lymphedema) can increase the risk of developing angiosarcoma in these areas. Apart from that, it can be caused by certain viral infections, such as Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) which is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, especially in individuals with a weak immune system such as HIV/AIDS sufferers.
5. Random DNA mutations
Many cases of sarcoma occur due to DNA mutations that occur randomly without a clear cause. This mutation can affect the genes that control cell growth and division, causing uncontrolled cell growth.
6. Environment
Exposure to unhealthy environments, such as toxic chemicals or radiation, can also affect the risk of developing sarcoma cancer.
7. Immune system
A weak immune system can also influence the development of cancer. An immune system imbalance can facilitate the growth of cancer cells
How to treat sarcoma cancer
sarcoma cancer
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Treating sarcoma cancer involves various treatment methods that depend on the type of sarcoma, location, size and stage of the cancer. Treatment often requires a multidisciplinary approach, involving a medical team consisting of surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, and other specialists. Here's how to treat sarcoma cancer in general.
1. Surgery (Operation)
Surgery is the main method for treating localized sarcomas. The goal is to completely remove the tumor along with a margin of surrounding healthy tissue to ensure no cancer cells remain. After that, reconstruction can be done when the sarcoma occurs in an important area such as the face.
2. Chemotherapy
There are two types of chemotherapy that can be used when suffering from sarcoma cancer, namely systemic chemotherapy and Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant chemotherapy. Systemic chemotherapy can be used using drugs that are injected into the bloodstream to reach and kill cancer cells throughout the body. This type of chemotherapy is intended for sarcoma that has spread or is at risk of spreading.
Next is neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy which can be given before surgery to shrink the tumor (neoadjuvant) or after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence (adjuvant).
3. Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy can be used to treat sarcoma cancer. There are two types of radiotherapy, namely External radiotherapy and Internal Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy).
External Radiotherapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. It is often used before surgery (neoadjuvant) to shrink a tumor or after surgery (adjuvant) to kill any remaining cancer cells. Meanwhile, Internal Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy) Involves placing radioactive material directly in or near the tumor.
4. Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy can be used to treat sarcoma cancer. Targeted therapy uses drugs that target specific molecules that play a role in the growth and spread of cancer. An example is imatinib (Gleevec) which is used to treat Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST).
5. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy can treat cases of sarcoma cancer. Immunotherapy uses the patient's immune system to fight cancer. Medications such as pembrolizumab (Keytruda) or nivolumab (Opdivo) may be used in certain cases.