Sarcoma

Osteosarcomas are a fairly rare disease, accounting for about 0.2% of the total number of sarcomas. The disease often occurs in young people. At risk are people who have suffered fractures. Bone tissue is rapidly renewed: some cells are destroyed, while others are formed.

When the bones grow together after a fracture, there is a very intensive formation of bone cells. At the slightest violation of this process, cells begin to divide incorrectly, and their number becomes redundant. This is how a malignant tumor occurs. Its characteristic feature is that it metastasizes to the lungs very quickly.

In case of bone sarcomas in Israel, an examination is prescribed, which includes:

• Consultations of an oncologist and onco-orthopedist;
• PET-CT;
• Radioisotope study of bones

The main methods of osteosarcoma treatment in Israel:

• Surgery.

In Israel, osteosarcoma is treated surgically. But at the same time, amputation of the affected limb is not performed. The operation consists in removing the affected area of the bone and replacing it with an endoprosthesis. The surgeon’s goal is to remove the tumor and enough of the normal tissue surrounding it to obtain a clean margin around the tumor. “Clear edge” means that no tumor cells are visible at the margins of the surgical specimen.

Before surgery, it is important to perform a biopsy and appropriate imaging studies to confirm the diagnosis.

• Radiation therapy.

Radiation therapy may be given before surgery to shrink the tumor so it can be removed more easily. Or it may be done after surgery to remove any remaining cancer cells. Radiation therapy may allow for fewer surgeries, often sparing critical structures in the arm or leg if the sarcoma is located in one of these locations.

Radiation therapy can damage normal cells, but because it is centered around the tumor, side effects are usually limited to those areas.

• Brachytherapy.

Brachytherapy is the introduction of radiation seeds through thin tubes called catheters directly into the affected area of the body. Brachytherapy usually requires special skills and special training. The procedure is used only in certain hospitals and only in special situations for the treatment of sarcoma.

• Proton beam therapy.

Proton therapy is an external beam treatment that uses protons rather than X-rays. Like X-rays, protons can destroy cancer cells. Most often, the therapy is used in parts of the body close to critical structures, such as near the spinal cord or at the base of the brain.

• Intraoperative radiotherapy.

In some hospitals, part of the planned radiation therapy may be given during surgery. This approach may reduce the need to expose normal tissues to external radiation or brachytherapy.

• Target therapy.

Targeted therapy drugs target parts of sarcoma cells that distinguish them from normal cells. Targeted drugs work differently than standard chemotherapy drugs, which basically attack any rapidly dividing cells. Sometimes targeted drugs work when chemotherapy doesn’t work, and they can also have less severe side effects.

Among breast tumors, sarcoma occurs in less than 1% of cases. There are several types of this tumor:

• Fibrosarcoma;
• Liposarcoma;
• Angiosarcoma;
• Osteogenic sarcoma.

Breast cancers are characterized by aggressiveness and rapid metastasis.

Their causes may be hereditary predisposition, trauma and surgery of the mammary gland, exposure to radiation, etc. Sometimes, simultaneously with a tumor in the mammary gland, a woman has the same neoplasms in the cervix, ovary, and intestines. Therefore, a patient with sarcoma requires a thorough examination.

Lung sarcoma accounts for only 1% of all lung malignancies. The main causes of the disease are smoking, exposure to carcinogens and heredity (sometimes lung sarcomas occur already in childhood).

The main methods for diagnosing sarcoma:

• radiography;
• CT scan;
• Lung biopsy under the control of computed tomography;
• PET-CT;
• Functional study of the lungs.

In the early stages of the tumor, the main method of treatment is surgery.

For lung sarcoma, IMRT Rapid Arc radiotherapy is performed at the Assuta clinic. Its advantage lies in the ability to irradiate the tumor with high doses of radiation without damaging healthy tissues.

• The tumor is removed during the operation of trepanation of the skull (craniotomy);
• For the treatment of brain sarcomas in Israel in recent years, stereotactic radiosurgery has been successfully used.

You can ask any questions about treatment at the Assuta clinic using the application on the website or by phone. +7495-7899230 (your call will be forwarded free of charge to the international department of the clinic in Israel). Our consultant doctor will call you back within 1-2 hours. The consultation is completely free. Privacy is guaranteed.