About Sarcomas
Signs and Symptoms
Patients often notice a hard, new or growing lump or swelling associated with pain. Sometimes patients feel a numbness/deafness or prickle or observe a restriction in the mobility/flexibility of the extremities (legs, arms). Desmoids in the abdomen are often diagnosed very late with the consequence of a long unrestricted growth of the tumor. Typical signs…
Read MoreSigns and Symptoms
Unfortunately, bone cancer can go unnoticed as it may not present symptoms for quite some time. If there are symptoms, they depend on the location where the tumour is situated. Most often, patients experience the following symptoms: Pain or swelling where the tumour is located. The pain is not necessarily permanent. It may come and…
Read MoreDiagnosis
The first step to diagnosis is the evaluation of the patient’s medical history and a thorough clinical examination. However, when a lump is present, imaging tests are important to assist with diagnosis and so-called staging. Imaging processes create internal body images. There are different types of medical imaging methods: Traditional x-rays: They can rule out…
Read MoreFollow up STS
Regular follow-up care aims at identifying potential relapse (= recurrence) or the development of metastases as early as possible. In most cases, these situations arise in the first two years after primary therapy, although monitoring can continue for ten years afterwards. Follow-up care focuses on providing accurate analysis of local findings, as well as looking for…
Read MoreFollow up Desmoid
A close meshed follow up is recommended for critical anatomic sites or in the case of fast growth and growth at several sites (multifocal growing). The timeframe for follow up by MRI/ CT should be made individualized by a multidisciplinary team.
Read MoreFollow up Bone
The objective of regular follow-up is to detect either local recurrence or metastatic disease at a time when early treatment is still possible. Examinations should include both a physical examination of the tumour site as well as assessment of the function and possible complications of any reconstruction. Also local imaging and chest X-ray or CT…
Read MoreResearch STS
All currently available drug therapies in soft tissue sarcomas have been tested in clinical studies in order to be approved today. These clinical studies lead to progress in sarcoma therapy and improved outlook for today’s patients. Controlled clinical studies are essential for determining the value of new treatments and their influence on the quality of…
Read MoreTreatment STS
There are several treatment options for soft tissue sarcomas, which are chosen depending on the sarcoma subtype (type) and the stage of the disease (localized/advanced). In general, the treatment of soft-tissue sarcomas are “multi-modal”. This simply means that different therapy modalities are combined in incremental, alternating, and sometimes simultaneous ways. Especially if the tumor has…
Read MoreFollow up GIST
Close monitoring of patients with GIST is essential. The aftercare intervals – every 3 to 6 months – depend on the risk groups, the methods of examination, the location of the primary tumour and the metastasis. The most important current methods of examination are the following: General body examination, sonography/ultrasound (limited!), blood analysis/lab values, and…
Read MoreSigns and symptoms
Many GISTs do not at first cause the patient any unusual or unpleasant symptoms, so they are often quite large before they are discovered. Those tumours are often discovered during emergency surgery for unexpected perforation of the gastrointestinal tract and consequent bleeding. The type of symptoms and when they first occur depends on the size…
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