Recent high school senior, Chase Mills, now 19, had battled Ewing Sarcoma for six years when doctors gave him a grim prognosis in March; he’s got tumors in his skull, the fluid-lining of his brain, his shoulder, lung, and hip. Mills has months to live, with or without treatment.
Read MoreSarcoma survivor, Kara Ladd found solace in Reiki, meditation, and energy healing during treatment.
NHL hockey player, Oskar Lindblom, of the Philadelphia Flyers, also put Ewing Sarcoma just one of the hundreds of sarcomas in the headlines when he rang the chemo bell Monday, signaling the end of his treatment. But sadly, “Top Chef” contestant, Fatima Ali was just 29 when she lost her fight with Ewing Sarcoma in 2019.
Sarcomas are rare among adults, accounting for 1% of cancers. In children, they are more common, accounting for 20% of pediatric cancers. Diagnosed in over 16,000 children, women, and men each year, sarcomas claim 7,000 lives each year.
What Kind of Cancer Is Sarcoma?
Sarcomas are cancers that arise from the cells that hold the body together. They can occur in muscles, nerves, bones, fat, tendons, cartilage, or other forms of connective tissues. “There are hundreds of different kinds of sarcomas, which come from different kinds of cells,” says Dr. George D. Demetri, MD, Director, Sarcoma and Bone Oncology Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.
A few of the known sarcoma-types include:
- Osteosarcomas, which occur in the bones
- Angiosarcomas appear in the lining of the blood vessels
- Ewing’s Sarcoma develops in the soft tissue surrounding the bone
- Synovial Sarcoma occurs in the cells surrounding joints and tendons, often around the knee
- Liposarcoma develops from fat cells and often occurs in the torso, limbs, or deep within the abdominal lining.
- Chondrosarcoma occurs in the cells of the cartliage, mostly in adults over 40
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About half of soft tissue sarcomas start in an arm or leg. Most people notice a lump that’s grown over weeks or months. The lump may or may not hurt.
When sarcomas grow in the back of the abdomen, they may press on nerves, blood vessels or other organs, or cause blockage or bleeding of the stomach or bowels. They can grow large enough for the tumor to be felt in the belly. Sometimes the tumors themselves cause pain. About 4 of 10 sarcomas begin in the abdomen.
What Is Ewing Sarcoma?
A cancer that grows in the bone or soft tissue, Ewing Sarcoma can develop in the bones and other parts of the body. It's most common in adolescents and young adults, from teen years to the mid-20s, according to the National Cancer Institute. Signs of the disease include:
- Pain and/or swelling, usually in the arms, legs, chest, back, or pelvis.
- A lump (which may feel soft and warm) in the arms, legs, chest, or pelvis
- Fever for no known reason
- A bone that breaks for no known reason
Treatment for Ewing sarcoma may involve a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Treatment plans are determined by the location of the cancer whether it's in the bones or soft tissues and the size of the tumor at the time of diagnosis.
A rare cancer, with more than 16,000 new cases diagnosed each year, the 5-year survival rate for Ewing's sarcoma is around 83%, if it’s caught early, in a localized stage, according to the American Cancer Society.
Genes, Age, and Ancestry
Major advancements in treatment have improved the outlook for those diagnosed with the disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. After completion of treatment, lifelong monitoring is recommended to watch for potential late effects of intense chemotherapy and radiation.
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The disease begins when a cell develops changes in its DNA most often a gene called EWSR1. The mutated gene tells cells to multiply quickly, resulting in a mass (tumor) of abnormal cells that can invade and destroy healthy body tissue. When doctors suspect Ewing's sarcoma, they may test cancer cells to look for changes in this gene.
Risk factors include age the disease is most often seen in children and teenagers and ancestry. Ewing sarcoma is more common in people of European ancestry and much less commonly diagnosed in people of African and East Asian descent.
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