Sarcoma Facts & Figures

Sarcomas are uncommon cancers that can affect any part of your body.  A key symptom of sarcoma is a lump that gets bigger quickly.

Most people get diagnosed when their sarcoma is about the size of a large tin of baked beans.

There are many different types of sarcoma. All subtypes of sarcoma can be grouped into soft tissue sarcomas and bone sarcomas.

Sarcomas commonly affect the arms, legs and torso. Sarcomas can also appear in the stomach and intestines as well as behind the abdomen and internal reproductive organs.

Sarcoma is very rare, making up less than 2% of all cancers diagnosed in Europe each year.

The main symptoms of sarcoma are:

• A lump which is growing, changing, or bigger than a golf ball
• Swelling, tenderness or pain in or around the bone which may come and go and may be worse at night
• Stomach pain, feeling sick, loss of appetite or feeling full after eating only a small amount of food
• Blood in either your poo or vomit

It is important to remember most lumps and pains are not sarcomas, and this list doesn’t cover everything.

Treatment of sarcomas depend on the type of sarcoma, but many people can have tumours removed with surgery. For other types of sarcoma, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are options.