A soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) is a malignant tumor, a type of cancer, that develops in soft tissue. A soft-tissue sarcoma is often a painless mass that grows slowly over months or years. They may be superficial or deep-seated. Any such unexplained mass must be diagnosed by biopsy. Treatment may include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drug therapy. Bone sarcomas are the other class of sarcomas.
A sarcoma is a malignant tumor, a type of cancer that arises from cells of mesenchymal origin. Connective tissue is a broad term that includes bone, cartilage, fat, vascular, or other structural tissues, and sarcomas can arise in any of these types of tissues. As a result, there are many subtypes of sarcoma, which are classified based on the specific tissue and type of cell from which the tumor originates. Sarcomas are primary connective tissue tumors, meaning that they arise in connective tissues. This is in contrast to secondary connective tissue tumors, which occur when a cancer from elsewhere in the body spreads to the connective tissue. Sarcomas are one of five different types of cancer, classified by the cell type from which they originate. The word sarcoma is derived from the Greek σάρκωμα sarkōma 'fleshy excrescence or substance', itself from σάρξsarx meaning 'flesh'.
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a highly aggressive form of cancer that develops from mesenchymal cells that have failed to fully differentiate into myocytes of skeletal muscle. Cells of the tumor are identified as rhabdomyoblasts.
The term fibromatosis refers to a group of soft tissue tumors which have certain characteristics in common, including absence of cytologic and clinical malignant features, a histology consistent with proliferation of well-differentiated fibroblasts, an infiltrative growth pattern, and aggressive clinical behavior with frequent local recurrence. It is classed by the World Health Organization as an intermediate soft tissue tumor related to the sarcoma family. Arthur Purdy Stout coined the term fibromatosis, in 1954.
Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a clinical condition caused by cancerous cells that produce abundant mucin or gelatinous ascites. The tumors cause fibrosis of tissues and impede digestion or organ function, and if left untreated, the tumors and mucin they produce will fill the abdominal cavity. This will result in compression of organs and will destroy the function of the colon, small intestine, stomach, or other organs. Prognosis with treatment in many cases is optimistic, but the disease is lethal if untreated, with death occurring via cachexia, bowel obstruction, or other types of complications.
Desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor (DSRCT) is an aggressive and rare cancer that primarily occurs as masses in the abdomen. Other areas affected may include the lymph nodes, the lining of the abdomen, diaphragm, spleen, liver, chest wall, skull, spinal cord, large intestine, small intestine, bladder, brain, lungs, testicles, ovaries, and the pelvis. Reported sites of metastatic spread include the liver, lungs, lymph nodes, brain, skull, and bones. It is characterized by the EWS-WT1 fusion protein.
Appendix cancer are very rare cancers of the vermiform appendix.
Ewing sarcoma is a type of pediatric cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue. Symptoms may include swelling and pain at the site of the tumor, fever, and a bone fracture. The most common areas where it begins are the legs, pelvis, and chest wall. In about 25% of cases, the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body at the time of diagnosis. Complications may include a pleural effusion or paraplegia.
Carcinosis, or carcinomatosis, is disseminated cancer, forms of metastasis, whether used generally or in specific patterns of spread.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is the name given to the cancer that attacks the lining of the abdomen. This type of cancer affects the lining that protects the contents of the abdomen and which also provides a lubricating fluid to enable the organs to move and work properly.
Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (EMRS) is a rare histological form of cancer in the connective tissue wherein the mesenchymally-derived malignant cells resemble the primitive developing skeletal muscle of the embryo. It is the most common soft tissue sarcoma occurring in children. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma is also known as PAX-fusion negative or fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma, as tumors of this subtype are unified by their lack of a PAX3-FOXO1 fusion oncogene. Fusion status refers to the presence or absence of a fusion gene, which is a gene formed from joining two different genes together through DNA rearrangements. These types of tumors are classified as embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma "because of their remarkable resemblance to developing embryonic and fetal skeletal muscle."
Intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemoperfusion is a type of hyperthermia therapy used in combination with surgery in the treatment of advanced abdominal cancers. In this procedure, warmed anti-cancer medications are infused and circulated in the peritoneal cavity (abdomen) for a short period of time. The chemotherapeutic agents generally infused during IPHC are mitomycin-C and cisplatin.
A rhabdomyoblast is a cell type which is found in some rhabdomyosarcomas. When found histologically, a rhabdomyoblast aids the diagnosis of embryonal, alveolar, spindle cell/sclerosing, and pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcomas; however, in a tumor, expression of the rhabdomyoblast phenotype is not the only factor in diagnosing a rhabdomyosarcoma. Mesenchymal malignancies can exhibit this phenotype as well. Immunohistochemistry techniques allow for the sensitive detection of desmin, vimentin, muscle specific actin, and MyoD1. Similarly the rhabdomyoblast phenotype can be detected morphologically. Rhabdomyoblasts are early stage mesenchymal cells, having the potential to differentiate into a wide range of skeletal cells. Each stage of differentiation exhibits unique and distinguishable histological characteristics. In its initial from, stellate cells with amphiphilic cytoplasm and ovular central nuclei are observed. Commonly referred to as rhabdoid features, the maturing rhabdomyoblast will likely exhibit low levels of eosinophilic cytoplasm in proximal distances to the nucleus. As maturation and differentiation progress, the cell's cytoplasmic levels of white blood cells increase; additionally, elongated shapes, commonly depicted as “tadpole”, “strap” and "spider cells", are observed. In the concluding phase of differentiation, the white blood cell rich cytoplasm appears bright and exhibits cross-striation. The highly regulated organization of actin and myosin microfilaments in contractile proteins results in this appearance.
Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) is a surgical procedure that aims to reduce the amount of cancer cells in the abdominal cavity for patients with tumors that have spread intraabdominally. It is often used to treat ovarian cancer but can also be used for other abdominal malignancies.
Farrer Park Hospital is a private tertiary healthcare institution in Farrer Park, Singapore. Located above the Farrer Park MRT station at the Connexion building, the hospital has a capacity of 220 beds across four inpatient suites and 18 operating theaters including major surgery, cardiovascular and endoscopic suites. It is interconnected with the Farrer Park Medical Centre, where there are 10 floors of suites for over 200 medical specialists, as well as One Farrer Hotel.
Paul Hendrick Sugarbaker is an American surgeon at the Washington Cancer Institute. He is known for developments in surgical oncology of the abdomen, including cytoreductive surgery followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, or HIPEC, a treatment alternately referred to as the Sugarbaker Procedure.
Juan José Segura-Sampedro MBE is a Spanish surgeon and researcher at Son Espases University Hospital in Mallorca, Spain, and adjunct professor of surgery at University of the Balearic Islands. He is best known for his research in major trauma, focused on the balconing phenomenon and a preventive campaign in collaboration with the British Foreign Office.
Ovarian germ cell tumors (OGCTs) are heterogeneous tumors that are derived from the primitive germ cells of the embryonic gonad, which accounts for about 2.6% of all ovarian malignancies. There are four main types of OGCTs, namely dysgerminomas, yolk sac tumor, teratoma, and choriocarcinoma.
Somashekhar SP is an Indian robotic surgeon, author and chairman of medical advisory board at Aster DM Healthcare - GCC & India. He is also the global director of Aster International Institute of Oncology in GCC & India. He is the president of the Association of Breast Surgeons of India, editor in chief of the IJGO Springer Indian Journal of Gynec Oncology and council member of The Association of Surgeons of India. He is also the editor of Annals of Breast Diseases.
