A type of sarcoma that contains spindle cells. Under a microscope, spindle cells look long and slender. Sarcomas are cancers that begin in muscle, fat, fibrous tissue, or other connective or supportive tissue in the body. Spindle cell sarcomas usually occur in adults.

What is the survival rate for spindle cell sarcoma?

The relative 5-year survival rates were 84% for those aged 20 to 49 years and 48% for those 50 to 69 years. Those older than 70 years had a 2-year relative survival rate of only 30%.

Is spindle cell sarcoma curable?

A sarcoma is considered stage IV when it has spread to distant parts of the body. Stage IV sarcomas are rarely curable. But some patients may be cured if the main (primary) tumor and all of the areas of cancer spread (metastases) can be removed by surgery. The best success rate is when it has spread only to the lungs.

How serious is spindle cell sarcoma?

Spindle cell sarcoma is a rare malignant (cancerous) tumour which can develop in the bone or soft tissue. It can arise in any part of the body but is most common in the limbs (arms and legs).

Does spindle cell mean cancer?

Spindle cell tumors

Spindle cell tumor is not a specific diagnosis or a specific type of cancer. The tumor may be a sarcoma, or it can be sarcomatoid — meaning another type of tumor (like a carcinoma) that looks like a sarcoma under the microscope.

Spindle Cell Sarcoma, Leg

What is the difference between cancer and sarcoma?

Carcinomas are cancers that develop in epithelial cells, which cover the internal organs and outer surfaces of your body. Sarcomas are cancers that develop in mesenchymal cells, which make up both your bones and soft tissues, such as muscles, tendons, and blood vessels.

How common is spindle cell sarcoma?

Spindle cell sarcoma is a soft-tissue tumour which can start in the bone. Spindle cell sarcomas of the bone are often found in the arms, legs and pelvis. They most commonly arise in patients over the age of 40 and are extremely rare, making up just 2-5% of all primary bone cancer cases.

Is spindle cell sarcoma the same as osteosarcoma?

Spindle cell sarcoma is a soft-tissue tumour which can start in the bone. This cancer is rare and makes up just 2-5% of all primary bone cancer cases. Spindle cell sarcoma of the bone tends to follow the same diagnosis and treatment methods as a more common form of primary bone cancer, known as osteosarcoma.

Where are sarcomas usually found?

Sarcomas grow in connective tissue -- cells that connect or support other kinds of tissue in your body. These tumors are most common in the bones, muscles, tendons, cartilage, nerves, fat, and blood vessels of your arms and legs, but they can also happen in other areas of your body..

How long can you have sarcoma without knowing?

Delays between tumor recognition by a patient to diagnosis were between 1 and 3 years in most cases. However, in three cases of synovial sarcoma, it took more than 10 years to reach a diagnosis, and in another case of synovial sarcoma, it took more than 5 years.

Does Chemo work on sarcoma?

Sarcoma chemotherapy uses powerful medications to destroy cancerous cells. Chemo can be used to treat both osteosarcomas and soft tissue sarcomas, and it can be given at any point in a patient's treatment plan.

Is Stage 1 sarcoma curable?

If the sarcoma is found at an early stage and has not spread from where it started, surgical treatment is often very effective and many people are cured. However, if the sarcoma has spread to other parts of the body, treatment can usually control the tumor, but it is often incurable.

Is sarcoma a death sentence?

Soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities are rare and challenging neoplasms, and every general surgeon is likely to face one at least once or twice in his or her career. Recurrence of extremity sarcoma is not a death sentence, and these patients should be treated aggressively.

Can sarcoma come back after surgery?

While this approach improves survival and life expectancy, it is possible that a sarcoma could return. Some sarcomas tend to reappear in the same spot, and others grow in new locations. Typically, if a sarcoma does come back, it happens within the first two to five years after surgery.

What is the most common sarcoma?

Soft tissue sarcomas are by far the most common. Osteosarcomas (sarcomas of the bone) are the second most common, while sarcomas that develop in the internal organs, such as the ovaries or lungs, are diagnosed least frequently.

What is the meaning of 5 year survival rate?

- Five year relative survival rate refers to the percentage of people suffering from a similar disease alive five years after the disease is diagnosed, divided by the percentage of the overall population alive after five years.

How long do you live with Stage 4 sarcoma?

The “distant” category is equivalent to stage 4 metastatic cancer. Using the SEER database, statistics show that people with a soft tissue sarcoma have an average 5-year survival rate of 65%.

Are sarcomas aggressive?

Some are benign (not cancerous), while others may be highly aggressive. Most often, these tumors grow slowly over many years. Most are not found until they are very large. Fibrosarcoma: Fibrosarcoma was once thought to be one of the most common forms of soft tissue sarcoma.

Is a spindle cell tumor always malignant?

Tumours made up of spindle cells

These tumours can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). The type of tumour depends on the location in the body and the way the cells look when examined under the microscope.

Is spindle cell carcinoma painful?

The patient may complain of swelling, pain, paresthesia, persistent ulceration, or bleeding. Clinical examination often shows an exophytic, polypoid mass with a smooth, ulcerated surface. Based on its clinical appearance, sometimes the tumor may be mistaken for a fibroma or other benign lesion.

What is a spindle cell tumor?

A type of tumor that contains cells called spindle cells, based on their shape. Under a microscope, spindle cells look long and slender. Spindle cell tumors may be sarcomas or carcinomas.

What happens when sarcoma spreads to the lungs?

The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if soft tissue sarcoma spreads to the lung, the cancer cells in the lung are actually soft tissue sarcoma cells. The disease is metastatic soft tissue sarcoma, not lung cancer.

Can a spindle cell tumor be benign?

The name 'spindle cell' refers to the shape of the cell on cytology and histology. Spindle cell tumours can be benign (suffix -oma) or malignant (suffix -sarcoma), and will arise from these different cell lines.

What is a high grade sarcoma?

High grade: In high-grade soft tissue sarcoma, the cancer cells look more abnormal under a microscope and grow and spread more quickly than in low-grade and mid-grade soft tissue sarcoma.