#SARCOMAWONTWAIT – 29 JUNE – 5 JULY 2020
Across the world, July 2020 is Sarcoma Awareness month. Here in the UK, Sarcoma Week is from today Monday 29th June – Sunday 5th July 2020. The charity Sarcoma UK has a list of events which include:
Demand early diagnosis, saves lives: Today the charity is launching a report that tracks the experiences of people across the UK that has shared there experiences of life with a sarcoma with the the charity. The report also outlines Sarcoma UK’s pledge to improve early diagnosis in the UK.
Release your ballon, schools out race: Why not take part in the School’s Out Race at 8am on Friday 3rd July 2020. You will find more details about this balloon racing, including how to join at: https://ecoracing.co/race/view/10
The charity are organising other events and you can find out about them at:
https://sarcoma.org.uk/get-involved/26-challenge/sarcoma-awareness-week-29-june-5-july
UNDERSTANDING SARCOMA
Sarcomas are uncommon cancers that can affect any part of the body, on the inside or outside, including the muscle, bone, tendons, blood vessels and fatty tissues.
15 people are diagnosed with sarcoma every day in the UK. That’s about 5,300 people a year.
There are around 100 different sub-types of sarcoma.
When I first had surgery to remove the tumours on my spine in January 2011 and October 2011 I was advised that these were part of the sarcoma group of cancer’s.
Then in October 2015 when I had surgery to remove the massive tumour from the wall of my chest, I was told that the tumour is called malignant myopericytoma and it’s also from the sarcoma group of cancers.
Due to the size and rarity of this tumour, it took one month to diagnose. The tumour was sent to pathologists across the UK before it finally ended up in the USA, where it was finally diagnosed.
Sarcomas commonly affect the arms, legs and torso. They also appear in the stomach and intestines as well as behind the abdomen (retroperitoneal sarcomas) and the female reproductive system (gynaecological sarcomas).
- Bone sarcomas: affect about 611 people in the UK each year – 1 in 9 sarcoma diagnoses are bone sarcoma. Not all bone cancers will be sarcomas.
- Soft tissue sarcomas: are the most common type of sarcoma, around 88% of sarcomas are a type of soft tissue sarcoma.
- They can affect any part of the body; they develop in supporting or connective tissue such as the muscle, nerves, fatty tissue, and blood vessels. Soft tissue sarcomas include:
- GIST: is a common type of soft tissue sarcoma; it develops in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, a long tube running through the body from the oesophagus (gullet) to the anus (back passage) and includes the stomach and intestines.
- Gynaecological sarcomas (sometimes shortened to gynae sarcomas) occur in the female reproductive system: the uterus (womb), ovaries, vagina, vulva and fallopian tubes. You may also hear the term uterine sarcoma. They can affect women of any age.
- Retroperitoneal sarcomas occur in the retroperitoneum. This is an area behind the peritoneum, the lining of the abdominal space that covers the abdominal organs. The retroperitoneum is deep in the abdomen and pelvis, behind the abdominal lining, where organs such as the major blood vessels, kidneys, pancreas and bladder are located.
More research needs to be done to fully understand how these cancers develop and spread and how best to diagnose and treat them. People can survive sarcoma if their cancer is diagnosed early, when treatments can be effective and before the sarcoma has spread to other parts of the body. It is vital that patients be referred to a specialist sarcoma team as early as possible.
You can read more of this report from Sarcoma UK at:
https://sarcoma.org.uk/about-sarcoma/understanding-sarcoma-0
The report also examines; FACTS AND FIGURES, INCIDENCE, SURVIVAL and AWARENESS OF SARCOMA.
