This article is devoted to one of the most common questions: what is the difference between cancer and sarcoma? To begin with, it is worth paying attention to the fact that both in the first and in the second case we are talking about a malignant neoplasm. Let us clarify that the mortality rate from sarcoma is very high, but it is inferior to the number of deaths from cancer.
We invite you to get acquainted with one and the other disease in more detail. After reading this article to the very end, you will be able to find out:
- how is cancer different from sarcoma;
- types of sarcoma;
- what are the signs of the disease;
- causes of sarcoma;
- how the disease is treated.
Cancer
This section we devote entirely to a disease called cancer. What it is? Cancer and sarcoma are very similar diseases. Many, whose life is not connected with medicine, mistakenly confuse them. Now let's take a look at the features. Cancer is a malignant tumor that is life threatening. It is based on a dangerous neoplasm consisting of malignantcells. What is a malignant neoplasm? This disease is characterized by uncontrolled cell division of various tissues. They are able to spread to he althy tissues and organs. The branch of medicine called "oncology" deals with the study of malignant neoplasms.
What is known about the disease at this point in time? Very little. The reason for the development of cancer is a genetic disorder of division and implementation of the basic functions of cells. These disorders can occur due to transformation and mutation. If the immune system notices changes in the body and in the functioning of cells in time, then troubles can be avoided, because the pathology stops its development. If the immune system missed this moment, then a tumor will form.
Many factors affect the likelihood of developing a cancerous tumor, the most common of them are:
- heredity;
- smoking;
- drinking alcohol;
- viruses;
- ultraviolet radiation;
- poor quality food.
Sarcoma
So, sarcoma - what is it? In this section, we will try to tell you as much as possible about this disease. Sarcoma is, like cancer, a malignant neoplasm. It occurs in bone and muscle tissues. This is the difference between this disease and cancer. The latter can spread to absolutely any human organ.
The hallmarks of a sarcoma are:
- very fast development;
- frequentrelapses.
We draw your attention to the fact that the disease very often occurs in childhood. The reason for this phenomenon is quite simple to explain. As mentioned earlier, sarcoma occurs in bone and muscle tissues. And when does the active development of these connective tissue structures take place? Of course, in childhood.
So, what is it, a sarcoma? This is a malignant neoplasm in bone or muscle tissue. Like cancer, sarcoma is an oncopathology, but its percentage among all cases is one. That is, sarcoma is a rather rare phenomenon, but very dangerous. Statistics claim that in almost eighty percent of all cases, sarcoma was found on the lower extremities. Pay attention to the fact that in terms of mortality, this disease is second only to cancer.
Classification
In this section, we propose to analyze the types of sarcomas. There are more than a hundred of them in total. We propose to classify the disease according to several criteria. Let's start with the fact that all sarcomas are usually divided into two large groups:
- soft tissue injury;
- bone damage.
Next you will see the classification by development mechanism. There are only two types of sarcoma:
- primary;
- secondary.
How are they different? In the first case, the tumor grows from the tissues where the sarcoma is localized. One such example is chondrosarcoma. The peculiarity of the secondary is that it contains cells that are not related toorgan where the tumor is located. Vivid examples are:
- angiosarcoma;
- Ewing's sarcoma.
In the above examples, the localization of the tumor is seen in the bones. But the cells that form a sarcoma do not belong to this species (these are other types of cells). In the case of angiosarcoma, the tumor is formed from vascular cells (blood or lymph).
The following classification is based on the type of connective tissue. The tumor may develop from:
- muscle (myosarcoma);
- bones (osteosarcoma);
- vascular cells (angiosarcoma);
- adipose tissue (liposarcoma).
The last sign of classification that I would like to mention is the maturity of the disease. According to this feature, it is customary to distinguish three groups:
- poorly differentiated;
- medium differentiated;
- highly differentiated.
Reasons
This section will list the causes of sarcoma. These include:
- Damage. This is due to the fact that after a cut or some other injury, an active process of regeneration and division begins. The immune system cannot always detect undifferentiated cells in time, which become the basis of sarcoma. What can provoke its development? These can be scars, fractures, foreign bodies, burns or surgery.
- Some chemicals (asbestos, arsenic, benzene and other chemical components) can cause DNA mutation. As a result, the futurecell generation has an irregular structure and loses its basic functions.
- Radioactive exposure can change the DNA of a cell, the next generation of which will be malignant. The danger threatens people who previously irradiated the tumor, the liquidators of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, employees of x-ray departments of hospitals.
- Some viruses can also change the DNA and RNA of cells. These include herpes virus type 8 and HIV infection.
- Rapid growth (more common in tall teenage boys). At the time of puberty, cells are actively dividing, so immature cells may appear. The most common sarcoma of the femur.
Signs of sarcoma
Diseases such as oncology, sarcoma are similar in symptoms. In this section, we list the signs of pathology. They depend on the location of the tumor. Even at a very early stage, education can be noticed, because the sarcoma is distinguished by its active development. There are also pains in the joints that cannot be relieved with painkillers. In some cases, sarcoma can develop very slowly and do not show signs until several years.
When lymphoid sarcoma is observed:
- formation of swelling in the lymph node (from two to thirty centimeters);
- pain is weak or absent;
- weakness appears;
- reduced performance;
- body temperature rises;
- sweating increases;
- skin turns pale;
- possible rashes (allergic reaction to toxins);
- vote may change;
- shortness of breath;
- lips turn bluish;
- possible lower back pain;
- the patient may lose weight, as profuse diarrhea appears.
Soft tissue sarcoma has the following symptoms:
- tumor formation;
- pain on palpation;
- the tumor does not have a clear outline;
- the skin may develop a large amount of swelling and nodules (purple nodules in young people, brownish or purple in older people);
- diameter of skin nodules does not exceed five millimeters;
- when the formations are injured, ulcers and bleeding may appear;
- possible itching (allergic reaction to toxins).
If the tumor has formed in the lungs, then the following signs are distinguished:
- shortness of breath;
- possible diseases such as pneumonia, dysphagia and pleurisy;
- bones thicken;
- joint pain.
Please note that the tumor can compress the superior vena cava, then the following symptoms are observed:
- facial swelling;
- bluish skin tone;
- dilation of superficial veins on the face and neck;
- nosebleed.
Differences
And now let's answer the main question: how is cancer different from sarcoma? As mentioned earlier, both sarcoma and cancer are malignant neoplasms that result frommalfunctioning cells. Diseases differ in that a cancerous tumor occurs in a specific one organ, and a sarcoma can form anywhere in the human body. This is the difference between sarcoma and cancer. Please note that both diseases can metastasize and have a tendency to relapse.
Diagnosis
We answered the question of how cancer differs from sarcoma, now briefly about the diagnosis. To detect the disease, the following methods are used:
- poll;
- laboratory;
- histological studies.
In order to determine the location, resort to X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI and other instrumental methods.
Treatment
It is important to note that there is practically no difference in the treatment of sarcoma and cancer. Therapy in both cases consists of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. In addition, the patient receives additional dietary advice.
Forecasts
The less cell differentiation, the more difficult the patient to cure. This is due to the fact that an immature cell often metastasizes. However, modern drugs have significantly reduced the risk of death. In 90% of cases, correct and timely therapy significantly prolongs the life or completely cures the patient.
