HONOLULU (KHON2) — July is National Sarcoma Awareness Month, a time to recognize the signs of this rare type of cancer that affects about 17,000 people in the U.S. every year.
Sarcoma is a cancer that originates from connective tissue such as fat, bone, muscle – not only skeletal muscle, but smooth muscle that lines certain organs such as the stomach.
“Sarcoma is typically diagnosed with a biopsy. Sometimes patients notice a lump that can be painless or sometimes painful under the skin, or a firm mass emanating from the bone, or even increasing abdominal girth,” said Dr. Shane Morita, the medical director of Surgical Oncology at The Queen’s Health Systems.
For the most part, Dr. Morita said there are no real risk factors for most diagnoses, but some common risk factors may include: radiation therapy, chemical exposure (certain herbicides), and sometimes it’s genetic/hereditary.
“As far as prevention, you can modify some risk factors such as staying away from certain herbicides. Some types of sarcoma you can’t prevent it, so early detection is key,” Morita said.
As far as treatment options, surgery is the cornerstone of treatment if the sarcoma has not spread.
“Sometimes we interface and involve radiation or even chemotherapy, depending on how aggressive it looks under the microscope. There are more than a hundred different variants of sarcoma, so it needs to be really analyzed and discussed. We do that in a multi-disciplinary fashion,” according to Dr. Morita.
Sarcomas are much more common in Hawaii than in the rest of the nation. It’s a rare cancer often referred to as the “forgotten” cancer.
“But if you notice a lump bigger than a golf ball, seek immediate attention. If it’s smaller than that, typically that’s not a sarcoma, but watch it and monitor it for any changes or growth. Any questions, go and see your healthcare provider,” Dr. Morita said.
Check out more news from around Hawaii
To learn more about The Queen’s Cancer Center, visit their website at www.queens.org or call 808-691-8777.