Sarcoma and Bone Cancer Awareness Month

 July brings a new awareness month: Sarcoma and Bone Cancer. There's some overlap. A common bone cancer, osteosarcoma, is, as the name suggests, a sarcoma. First, let's talk about what a sarcoma is.

A sarcoma is a cancerous tumor of the bone or soft tissues, which accounts for 1% of adult cancers, but 15% of childhood cancers (x). Soft tissues are found pretty much everywhere in the body, so sarcomas can occur pretty much anywhere in the body. Generally, they are divided into bone sarcomas and soft tissue sarcomas, with further divisions based on the specific cells. Common childhood sarcomas are rhabdomyosarcoma (what my brother had), osteosarcoma, and Ewing's sarcoma, but many types and variations exist and occur in children (x, x). According to the Sarcoma Alliance, children often respond to treatment for sarcomas better than adults. Past radiation treatment for cancer is a risk factor for sarcomas (x).

Ewing's sarcoma and osteosarcoma are the two most common types of bone cancer in children. Other types of bone cancer occur more frequently in adults, such as chordomas. There are also other types of sarcomas that can occur in bones, but usually don't, like fibrosarcomas (x). While sarcomas are a primary cancer, bone tumors can also be from a different cancer, where the cells migrate to the bone.