Sarcomas

Question 1

What is a sarcoma?

Answer 1

Cancer originating in the muscles, bones or other types of connective tissue

Question 2

What are the most common types of bone tumours?

Answer 2

Benign
Malignant secondary

Question 3

What are the common sites of metastases?

Answer 3

Lungs
Breast
Prostate
Kidney
Thyroid
GI tract

Question 4

What are the least common types of bone tumours?

Answer 4

Malignant primary

Question 5

What are the types of bone sarcoma?

Answer 5

Osteosarcoma
Chondrosarcoma
Ewing sarcoma (kids)

Question 6

What is the presentation?

Answer 6

A soft tissue lump
Bone swelling
Persistent bone pain

Question 7

What is a red flag on examination?

Answer 7

Swelling that is:
- Rapidly growing
- Hard, fixed, craggy surface
- Indistinct margins
- Non tender to palpation
- Deep ache
- Painless

Question 8

What are the investigations for a sarcoma?

Answer 8

Xray- bony lumps
Ultrasound- soft t issue lumps
CT or MRI- metastatic spread
Biopsy- histology

Question 9

What is the management of a sarcoma?

Answer 9

Surgery
Radiotherapy
Chemotherapy
Palliative care