Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Soft tissue sarcomas can arise from a variety of tissues, including muscles, fat, blood vessels, tendons, nerves and other connective tissues. 

Soft tissue sarcomas account for the large majority of sarcoma diagnoses. They can appear anywhere in the body, but around half of all cases occur in the limbs. Other common sites include the chest, abdomen, pelvis, the digestive tract (gastrointestinal stromal tumours), the retroperitoneal area and the female reproductive system (gynaecological sarcomas).

Because soft tissue is found throughout the body, symptoms vary widely. Most often a soft tissue sarcoma is noticed as a lump. It is worth having a lump checked by your GP if it is:

• Larger than about 5cm — roughly the size of a golf ball
• Getting bigger or changing quickly
• Deep in the tissue rather than just under the skin
• Painful, or has come back after being removed before

Most lumps are not sarcoma. Benign (non-cancerous) lumps are far more common and can look very similar, which is one reason diagnosis can take several tests and several appointments. Having a lump checked early costs very little and, where a sarcoma is found, early diagnosis makes a real difference to treatment options and outcomes.

Soft tissue sarcomas are graded from 1 to 3 depending on how the cells look under a microscope and how quickly the tumour is likely to grow, and staged according to the size of the tumour and whether it has spread. Your team will use both to plan your treatment. Surgery is usually the main treatment, sometimes combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

The subtypes described on this page are the ones most commonly seen in Ireland. There are around 100 recognised subtypes in total, so if your diagnosis is not listed here, please contact us and we will help you find reliable information about it