Synovial sarcoma is a soft tissue malignancy. It develops from the tendon tissue, fascia, muscles and synovium of large joints. The pathological process leads to cell anaplasia, a violation of their differentiation. A tumor develops that is difficult to treat.
General description of the disease
Synovial sarcoma is characterized by the fact that it does not have a capsule. If you cut the neoplasm, then inside it you can see many cracks and cysts. Over time, the tumor spreads to the bones, destroying them.
The most common oncology, the symptoms of which appear quite quickly, in patients aged 15 to 20 years. And the gender in this case does not play a role. The tumor is able to give metastases, which are found in the lungs, lymph nodes, bones 5-8 years after the onset of the disease.
Oncology is diagnosed, the symptoms of which are mild at first, in only 3 out of a million patients, so the pathology is considered quite rare. The tumor is localized mainly in the knee joints. Less commonly, it occurs in the elbow joints or in the neck.
Sarcoma can recurafter the therapy. And the risk is quite high. It reappears after 1-3 years. The disease progresses very quickly. In addition, it is difficult to treat. Even in the case of timely and successful therapy, a favorable outcome is very rarely predicted. The disease is insidious and aggressive.
Why does a tumor develop?
Synovial sarcoma can be triggered by the following factors:
- Radiation or ionizing radiation.
- Carcinogenic exposure to chemicals.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Immunosuppressive therapy for other cancers.
- Injury.
In order for the disease not to develop, these causes must be eliminated.
Classification of pathology
Synovial sarcoma can be of different types. The classification of the disease can be carried out according to the structure of the neoplasm:
- Biphasic. Epithelial and sarcomatous precancerous components form here.
- Monophasic synovial sarcoma. It contains one type of pathologically altered cells: epithelial or sarcomatous.
It is possible to divide the tumor into types according to its morphology:
- Fibrous. The neoplasm consists of fibers.
- Cellular. Its structure contains glandular tissue, from which papillomas and cysts usually develop.
Also, according to the consistency, a hard or soft tumor can be distinguished. There is a classification according to the microscopic structureneoplasms: histioid, giant cell, fibrous, adenomatous, alveolar or mixed.
Symptoms of vomiting
If a patient develops this cancer, the symptoms are:
- Sudden pain in the affected joint.
- Impaired mobility and functionality of the joint.
- Increased regional lymph nodes. It occurs due to the spread of metastases.
- Fatigue.
- Significant increase in temperature.
- Fever.
- A hard or soft mass is felt in the affected joint.
- Weight loss.
Synovial sarcoma is a very insidious disease, so the first symptoms are a reason to see a doctor.
Diagnosis of pathology
Very often, even experienced doctors make mistakes in making a diagnosis, and this is fraught with a rapid deterioration in the patient's condition. A complete examination includes the following procedures:
- X-ray of the affected joint.
- Angiographic examination of blood vessels.
- Radioisotope diagnostics to detect the smallest foci of accumulation of malignant cells.
- Biopsy of neoplasm tissue.
- Ultrasound.
- CT or MRI.
- Laparoscopy.
- Cytological examination of a tumor sample.
- Chest X-ray to check for metastases.
- Immunological analysistumors.
- Genetic test to diagnose changes in chromosomes.
Synovial sarcoma of the knee joint is considered the most common type of pathology among tumors of this type.
Features of treatment
Therapy of any malignant formation should be long and intensive. It provides for the following stages of treatment:
- Surgical operation. Here the malignant node is removed within he althy tissues. That is, another 2-4 cm of normal cells should be excised around the tumor. In some cases, it may be necessary to remove the affected lymph nodes or the entire joint. To restore the functionality of the joint, the patient is undergoing surgery to replace the joint with an artificial prosthesis.
- Radiation therapy. It is used mainly if the tumor has already metastasized. Such therapy is used both before and after surgery. In the first case, irradiation helps to stop the growth of the neoplasm and reduce its size. After surgery, therapy is carried out in case of detection of metastases. The patient is shown several courses of radiation, between which there are intervals. Treatment lasts about 4-6 months.
- Chemical therapy. Synovial sarcoma stage 3 is treated in this way. For therapy, drugs such as Adriamycin, Karminomycin are used. Such treatment can be effective only if the tumor is sensitive to cytostatic drugs.
Treatment of the disease cannot give a 100% guarantee that the tumor will not reappear. But it is impossible not to produce therapy.
Forecast and prevention
Malignant synovioma in most cases has a poor prognosis. Only those patients in whom the pathology was detected at the first stage of development have high chances of survival. The percentage in this case is 80%.
The most terrible prognosis is in monophasic synovioma. The fact is that with it, metastases are formed immediately in the lungs. A biphasic tumor can be successfully treated in half of the cases.
The disease is accompanied by the rapid formation of metastases, so when the first symptoms appear, you should run to the doctor. Synovioma is considered one of the most dangerous progressive diseases, which is diagnosed more and more every year. Therapy is not always able to completely rid the patient of the pathology, but it will allow him to somewhat prolong his life.
There is no preventive scheme that can guarantee the prevention of the development of the disease. But those people who have a genetic predisposition need to be examined annually. But even in the most difficult situation, one should not lose hope, because medicine does not stand still. Stay he althy!
