A swollen tummy, limping and night sweats could be signs of a rare cancer that occurs almost anywhere in the body.
More than 4,295 cases of sarcoma diagnosed each year, with a 10-year survival rate of only 45%, according to Cancer Research UK. The "prognosis for the UK's sarcoma patients has changed little over the past 40 years", Sarcoma UK said, putting this down to late diagnosis.
The larger the tumour by the time it's diagnosed, the less likely it is that already limited treatment options will work. Sarcoma UK said patients symptoms are often dismissed by primary health workers, or the cancer is missed on scans. For Sarcoma Awareness Month this July, the charity's focus is "to get people diagnosed earlier and have better treatment options for life with and beyond bone and soft tissue cancers".
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There are two types of sarcomas - soft tissue, and bone - both of which are rare cancers affecting connective tissue. According to the NHS, soft tissue sarcomas affect tissue that connects, supports and surrounds body structures and organs. This type can affect the legs, arms and tummy, and anywhere in the body where there are tissues like fat, muscle, blood vessels, deep skin tissues, tendons and ligaments.
Soft tissue sarcomas often have no "obvious symptoms" in the early stages until they get bigger or spread, according to the NHS. Even then, symptoms like lumps could be mistaken for more common, non-cancerous conditions like cysts or lipoma, which are, respectively, fluid and fatty lumps under the skin.
The health service advised people to see a GP if they have a lump saying "it's important to have your symptoms checked". But despite 12 to 15 people being diagnosed each day, only one in four people in the UK know what sarcoma is, with even fewer knowing its signs and symptoms.
For soft tissue sarcomas, these vary depending on where the cancer develops, and, according to the NHS, can include:
- swelling under the skin may cause a painless lump that can't easily be moved around and gets bigger over time
- swelling in the tummy (abdomen) may cause abdominal pain, a persistent feeling of fullness, and constipation
- swelling near the lungs may cause a cough or breathlessness
Some of the main types of bone cancer are also sarcomas, including osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma. The first two are most common among people under 20 because "rapid growth spurts that occur during puberty may make bone tumours develop", the NHS said.
Although bone cancer can affect any bone, most develop in long bones in the legs or upper arms. Pain caused by the cancer can be mistaken for athritis or growing pains. Usually starting as "a feeling of tenderness in the affected bone", this gradually progresses to "a persistent ache or an ache that comes and goes, which continues at night and when resting".
While symptoms are "highly unlikely to be the result of bone cancer, it does require further investigation". The NHS advises you to visit your GP if you're experiencing persistent, severe or worsening bone pain, or if you're concerned about any other symptom of bone cancer. The main symptoms include:
- persistent bone pain that gets worse over time and continues into the night
- swelling and redness (inflammation) over a bone, which can make movement difficult if the affected bone is near a joint
- a noticeable lump over a bone
- a weak bone that breaks (fractures) more easily than normal
- problems moving around – for example, walking with a limp
Some people also experience swelling and redness or inflammation, or notice a lump on or around the affected bone. If it's near a joint, this swelling could make it difficult to use the joint, making it hard to walk, and potentially causing a limp. The cancer can sometimes weaken the bone, causes it to break or fracture easily after a minor injury or fall.
According to the NHS, less common symptoms of bone cancer include:
- a high temperature
- unexplained weight loss
- sweating, particularly at night
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