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July is Sarcoma and Bone Cancer Awareness Month
Soft Tissue Sarcomas: Teenagers and Young Adults
Soft tissue sarcomas are cancers that develop from cells in the soft, supporting tissues of the body. There are many different types, but there are ones that tend to affect teenagers and young adults more. They are:
- rhabdomyosarcomas
- synovial sarcomas
- soft tissue Ewing’s sarcoma
- fibrosarcomas
Sarcomas can also develop in the bones. This is called osteosarcoma.
The symptoms of a sarcoma will depend on where it is:
- if it’s in an arm or leg, symptoms include a lump or swelling in the limb – this is usually painless, but not always.
- if it’s in the tummy (abdomen), symptoms include a painful, swollen tummy, and problems going to the toilet to poo (called constipation).
- if it’s in your bladder, symptoms include pain in the lower tummy, finding it difficult to pee (pass urine), and having blood in your pee.
- if it’s in the chest, symptoms can include breathlessness, a cough and pain in your chest.
Remember – most people with these symptoms won’t have a sarcoma. But if you have any of these symptoms or are worried that you may have a sarcoma, the first thing to do is to speak to your general practitioner. They’ll examine you and refer you to a hospital if they think you need to see a specialist.
It is unknown what causes sarcomas in teenagers and young adults. People often think aan injury might have caused a sarcoma, but there’s no evidence for this. Remember that nothing you’ve done has caused the cancer.
To access the full article on Sarcoma in teens, click here.
