What Kind of Cancer is Sarcoma?
- Mya Richardson, a 21-year-old OnlyFans content creator, was diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, a rare type of cancer. She worried how it would affect her job, but she’s still just as successful.
- 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.
- Spindle cell sarcoma is very rare, comprising as little as 2% of all primary bone cancer cases. It can start in the bone, often in the arms, legs, and pelvis, and usually occurs in people over 40.
- The typical symptom of sarcomas is a slow-growing, painless mass, and treatment can include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
Richardson is a creator on OnlyFans, a subscription-based social media platform, when she diagnosed with cancer in September 2022. It was just about nine months after she noticed a painful lump on the left side of her lower abdomen, and approximately six years since she began feeling pain in her side.
Read More"I was just always told I had unbalanced hips. But then I spotted this lump starting to form and it was really painful,” Richardson said. “The specialist knew straight away that it was cancer. I had just thought it was a cyst that could be easily removed. They spotted that it was spreading to my lungs but they have been able to stop it.”
Following her cancer diagnosis, she immediately started treatment, consisting of four chemotherapy sessions and 25 radiotherapy sessions. Now, she’s planning to see her doctor in March to schedule when the tumor will be removed.
After undergoing surgery, Richardson explained she’ll be in remission for two years, however, she understands it’s “common” for the cancer to return.
Despite her treatment and her initial worries she says she’s still able to support herself and her family through the income she makes from OnlyFans, a website founded in July 2016 that allows artists, entertainers, and others who want to monetize off of their social media impact.
“I'm still a very confident person. At first I used to wear wigs for content as I was worried about what people may think,” she explained. “I post a lot without my wig now. Lots of them offer support."
Richardson demonstrates optimism and perseverance as she copes with the cost of cancer treatment, something that looks different for everyone depending on their financial status at the time of diagnosis.
Cash-Strapped Cancer Warriors Turn to Adult Site 'OnlyFans' to Help Pay Hefty Medical Bills
There is absolutely no shame in asking for help with funding treatment and doing what you need to do to survive. Some people ask family and friends to help defray costs, others may turn to their savings if they have enough, and some people get creative, building pages on GoFundMe, or even OnlyFans, or elsewhere. SurvivorNet has more resources for help navigating financial planning after a cancer diagnosis.
What Are Sarcomas? Know the Types and Symptoms of These Rare Cancers
If you get a diagnosis of a common cancer such as breast cancer you might already have some sense of what that means. But what if you learn you have a sarcoma cancer? These are much rarer and less likely to be discussed in casual office visits or among friends. In fact, this rare and diverse group of diseases accounts for only about 1% of adult tumors and just over 10% of tumors in children.
“Sarcoma” is the general term describing an array of cancers more than 70 that begin in the bones and in the soft tissues (that includes muscles, fat, blood vessels, tendons, nerves, and joint linings).
"The cause in most patients is unknown," Dr. Vishal Gupta, site director of Radiation Oncology at The Blavatnik Family Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai, tells SurvivorNet.
Types of Sarcoma Cancers
Individual cancers within the “sarcoma” group have unique names:
- Ewing's sarcoma is a cancer that typically occurs in and around the bones, often in the arms or legs, or the bones of the pelvis. It most commonly occurs in children and young adults.
Related: Celebrating the Life of Top Chef's Fatima Ali, Who Had Ewing's Sarcoma
- Kaposi sarcoma is a very rare type of cancer that causes lesions on the skin, in lymph nodes, organs, and the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and throat. It typically affects people with compromised immune systems, such as those with HIV.
- Epithelioid sarcoma is a type of soft tissue cancer that grows slowly. It is likely to begin under the skin of areas like the finger, hand, forearm, lower part of the leg, or foot.
- Synovial sarcoma, also called malignant synovioma, is a cancer that can form soft tissues such as muscle or ligaments, commonly close to joints or in areas like the arm, leg, or foot.
- Osteogenic sarcoma, also called osteosarcoma, starts in the bone, often as it is forming as a young person grows.
- Spindle cell sarcoma is very rare, comprising as little as 2% of all primary bone cancer cases. It can start in the bone, often in the arms, legs, and pelvis, and usually occurs in people over 40.
Sarcoma Symptoms
The typical symptom of sarcomas is a slow-growing, painless mass. But sarcoma can be hard to detect through symptoms. "Unfortunately, most sarcomas do not cause many of the symptoms that may be associated with other cancer," Dr. Dale Shepard, director of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute Phase I and Sarcoma Programs, tells SurvivorNet.
Shepard explains that this often leads to large tumors at the time of diagnosis. "Soft tissue sarcomas are typically painless," he says. "Bone sarcomas may be mistaken for orthopedic injuries. A mass the size of a golf ball or larger and growing should be evaluated as a potential sarcoma. It's important that patients who do have symptoms are not dismissive of them."
Sarcoma Survivor Kara Ladd found solace in Reiki, Meditation, and Energy Healing During Treatment
Carcinoma Vs. Sarcoma Explained
Dr. Gupta tells SurvivorNet that the main difference between a sarcoma and a carcinoma is where they originate. "A sarcoma typically occurs in soft/connective tissues of the body such as fat, muscle, blood vessels, bones, and nerves whereas a carcinoma typically occurs in organs such as the lung, prostate and breast," he explains.
Related: New Hope for People with a Rare Type of Cancer Called Epithelioid Sarcoma
When Cancer Runs in the Family
Or as Dr. Shepard puts it, a carcinoma comes from the cells that line organs (think lung, colon, or prostate), while a sarcoma comes from the cells that otherwise make up the organ: "Sarcomas are tumors in what people are made from after the organs are removed.
How Is Sarcoma Cancer Treated?
Sarcomas may be treated by surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Many patients benefit from treatment with more than one of these methods, Dr. Shepard explains.
"More than other types of cancer, the benefits of multidisciplinary care should prompt most patients to be seen by a group that specializes in treating sarcoma," he says. "Even if only for a second opinion or to develop a treatment plan, multidisciplinary care is crucial. For example, patients may benefit from surgical resection or radiation therapy even with metastatic disease. Patients may benefit from the addition of chemotherapy to radiation therapy prior to surgery to resect a sarcoma."
Who Gets Sarcoma Cancer?
Most sarcomas don't have a clear cause, Dr. Shepard explains. "They usually develop without a particular exposure or pre-existing condition," he says. "It is common that I see patients with a sarcoma who have previously been healthy no prior medical problems and leading a healthy lifestyle. [It's] not from something they did or something they didn't do."
That said, he notes, there are a few sarcomas that are associated with exposures or genetic conditions. Patients with HIV may develop Kaposi sarcoma. Prior radiation therapy is a risk factor for angiosarcoma. A genetic condition, neurofibromatosis 1, is associated with a type of sarcoma called a peripheral nerve sheath tumor. "Patients usually wonder why they have their tumor," Dr. Shepard notes. "It is important to address this with them."
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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