SARCOMA CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

The word “cancer” has never failed to trigger our mind and body into assuming that there is no way out. It almost makes us feel helpless and anxious, which makes sense considering the fact that there are over 100 types of cancer, some evidently more common than others, The severity of it all may scare patients but it’s also important to know that it can be managed, cured and prevented with the right amount of knowledge and awareness.

Over the years we have apprehended the severity linked with breast cancer and lung cancer which are more common in nature, however, there is a number of cancers which should be learnt about before it’s too late. One of which is SARCOMA CANCER, a rare, soft tissue cancer that arises from a variety of tissue structures, including nerves, muscles, joints, fat, blood vessels and even the bones. This is your chance to educate yourself and others by joining Sarcoma Awareness Month which is held during the month of July every year to spread awareness and knowledge which can contribute to saving lives.

So, let’s learn more about the symptoms associated with sarcoma and the course of action that can be taken.

Signs And Symptoms:
● Most often, the first sign is a painless lump. As the lump gets bigger, it might press against nerves or muscles and make you uncomfortable or give you trouble breathing, or both.
● A lump that can be felt through the skin that may or may not be painful.
● Bone pain.
● A broken bone that happens unexpectedly, such as with a minor injury or no injury at all.
● Abdominal pain.
● Weight loss.

Risk Factors:
There are factors that can increase the risk of Sarcoma such as :
● Radiation exposure.
● Damaged lymph system or lymphedema.
● Exposure to chemicals.
● Family history.
● Neurofibromatosis.
● Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
● Retinoblastoma.

Treatment Options:
Now that you are well aware of the technical dynamics linked with Sarcoma, let’s touch base on the treatment which can cure sarcoma.

● Surgery
The best and most efficient way to treat Sarcoma Cancer is with surgery. Most people diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma are cured by the removal of the tumour alone, if the tumour is low-grade; that means it is not likely to spread to other parts of the body. More aggressive sarcomas are harder to treat successfully.
Surgery (wide local excision) with or without radiation therapy.
Surgery to remove cancer that has recurred in the lungs.

● Radiation Therapy
Radiation can be the main treatment for sarcoma in someone who isn’t healthy enough to have surgery. Radiation therapy can be used to help ease symptoms of sarcoma when it has spread. This is called palliative treatment.0

● Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that targets: proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide, and spread.

● Chemotherapy
Sarcoma chemotherapy is typically provided in six-week cycles, with a rest period of several weeks in between each cycle. During this time, a patient’s body works to restore any healthy cells that were damaged by the chemotherapy.

● Immunotherapy:
Immunotherapy drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors work by blocking checkpoint proteins from binding with their partner proteins. This prevents the “off” signal from being sent, allowing the T cells to kill cancer cells.

Sarcoma targets not only young adults but children. The possibility of rare cancers is rare but never unfeasible. Many lives, health and future get taken away by various different types of cancers every single day. It is our duty to be self-aware and wise on issues that hold an ability to change one’s life.

THE MORE AWARENESS WE SPREAD, THE MORE LIVES WE SAVE!

REFERENCE:
https://www.cancer.gov
www.mayoclinic.org
https://stanfordhealthcare.org