Diagnosis
Sarcoma diagnosis often begins with a physical exam. This cancer happens in the bones and soft tissues. The tests you have may depend on the part of your body that's affected. Other tests may include imaging tests and a procedure to remove a sample of cells for testing.
Physical exam
Your healthcare professional may ask about your symptoms and your health history. A physical exam can help your healthcare professional understand your symptoms and look for other clues that help with your diagnosis.
Imaging tests
Imaging tests make pictures of the inside of the body. The pictures can help your healthcare team understand the size of your sarcoma and where it is.
The imaging tests you have depend on your condition. Some tests, such as X-rays, are better for seeing bones. Other tests, such as MRIs, are better for seeing connective tissues. Other imaging tests may include ultrasound, CT, bone scans and positron emission tomography scans, also called PET scans.
Biopsy
A biopsy is a procedure to remove a sample of tissue for testing in a lab. How a healthcare professional collects the biopsy sample depends on where the affected tissue is.
A biopsy for sarcoma may involve placing a needle through the skin to get the sample. Or it may involve surgery. Sometimes a surgeon does a biopsy during surgery to remove the cancer.
Treatment
Treatment for sarcoma often involves surgery to remove the cancer. Other treatments for sarcoma may include radiation therapy, ablation therapy and treatment with medicines. Medicines that help treat sarcoma include chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
Which treatments are best for you will depend on the type of sarcoma you have. Your treatment options also might depend on where the cancer is in your body, how fast it's growing and whether it has spread to other parts of your body.
Surgery
The goal of surgery for sarcoma is to remove all the cancer cells. Sometimes surgeons need to remove a limb, such as an arm or a leg, to get all the cancer. This is called amputation. But surgeons try to save the limb when they can.
Sometimes surgeons can't remove all the cancer without hurting nearby nerves or organs. Then surgeons work to remove as much of the sarcoma as they can.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy treats cancer with powerful energy beams. The energy can come from X-rays, protons or other sources.
For sarcoma, you might have radiation therapy before, during or after surgery to remove the cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy treats cancer with strong medicines. Some types of sarcoma are more likely to respond to chemotherapy treatment than are others. Healthcare professionals might use chemotherapy before or after surgery. It also can help treat sarcoma that grows large or spreads to other parts of the body.
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy for cancer is a treatment that uses medicines that attack specific chemicals in the cancer cells. By blocking these chemicals, targeted treatments can cause cancer cells to die.
Your healthcare professional may have your sarcoma cells tested to see if they are likely to respond to targeted therapy medicines. Targeted therapy may treat certain types of sarcoma. It might be used if the cancer comes back or spreads.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy for cancer is a treatment with medicine that helps the body's immune system kill cancer cells. The immune system fights off diseases by attacking germs and other cells that shouldn't be in the body. Cancer cells survive by hiding from the immune system. Immunotherapy helps the immune system cells find and kill the cancer cells.
Tests can show if a sarcoma is likely to respond to immunotherapy. This treatment might help control a sarcoma that has spread to other parts of the body.
Ablation therapy
Ablation is a procedure that applies treatment directly to the cancer cells to harm them. Some types of ablation apply energy to the cancer cells that causes them to heat up. Procedures that do this include radiofrequency ablation and microwave ablation.
Using extreme cold to harm the cancer cells is called cryoablation. Sometimes ablation involves using alcohol to harm the cancer cells.
Ablation might be used to treat sarcoma when surgery isn't an option. It also might be used when the cancer spreads to other parts of the body.
Clinical trials
Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Coping and support
With time, you'll find what helps you cope with your sarcoma diagnosis. Until then, you may find that it helps to:
Learn enough about sarcoma to make decisions about your care
Ask your healthcare team about your cancer. Ask about your test results and the treatments you might have.
If you like, ask about the likely outcome of your condition, called prognosis, with and without treatment. As you learn more about cancer, you may feel better about making treatment decisions.
Keep friends and family close
Strong relationships can help you deal with your cancer. Friends and family can give you the help you need. For instance, they can take care of your home if you're in the hospital. They can serve as emotional support when you feel like your cancer is too much to handle.
Find someone to talk with
Find a good listener who is willing to hear you talk about your condition. This may be a friend or family member. A counselor, medical social worker, clergy member or cancer support group also may be helpful.
Ask your healthcare team about support groups in your area. In the United States, look to the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society for more information.
Preparing for your appointment
Start by making an appointment with a doctor or other healthcare professional if you have symptoms that worry you.
Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment.
What you can do
When you make the appointment, ask if there's anything you need to do in advance, such as fasting before having a certain test. Make a list of:
- Your symptoms, including symptoms that don't seem linked to the reason for your appointment, and when they began.
- Key personal information, including major stresses, recent life changes and family medical history.
- All medications, vitamins or other supplements you take, including the doses.
- Questions to ask your healthcare team.
Bring a family member or friend with you, if possible, to help you remember the information you're given.
For sarcoma, some basic questions to ask include:
- What's likely causing my symptoms?
- Other than the most likely cause, what are other possible causes for my symptoms?
- What tests do I need?
- What's the best course of action?
- I have other health conditions. How can I manage them together?
- Should I see a specialist?
- Are there brochures or other printed material I can have? What websites do you suggest?
Be sure to ask all the questions you have.
What to expect from your doctor
Your healthcare team is likely to ask you questions, such as:
- Do you have your symptoms all the time or do they come and go?
- How bad are your symptoms?
- What, if anything, seems to make your symptoms better?
- What, if anything, appears to make your symptoms worse?
Jan. 22, 2025