A low-grade sarcoma is less likely to spread than a high-grade sarcoma (Emory).
Sarcoma Case
This presents 15 members of a family diagnosed with multiple tumors from the submucosa of the small intestines (Trent 2006). This suggests that this type of tumor runs in the family through a germ-line mutation, which affects all the body cells. The origin remained unknown. The chance of a child inheriting the mutant gene in the family was 50/50. Some may not currently have the tumor but each case in the multiple series of tumors is a separate and entire, primary tumor. Any of them can metastasize (Trent).
Treatments
Surgery removes all or part of the tumor (Emory 2006). If the tumor is small, it is removed with some normal tissue from the affected body part, such as an arm or leg. It is still used even when there is metastasis in order to bolster long-term survival, especially in the absence of an evidence of cancer. Chemotherapy is a medication intended to eliminate cancer cells or weaken them greatly or in support of other types of treatment. It is administered orally or intravenously over a prescribed period. Some are given daily while the others are given weekly. Chemotherapy infusions for sarcomas take a number of days. Chemotherapy is administered to before surgery to make the removal of the tumor easier or minimize the damage on normal tissues. It is also used if the likelihood of metastasis is high or if the surgery does not remove all of the cancer found. It can cause nausea or vomiting. Radiation therapy uses penetrating beams of high-energy waves to treat cancers. It destroys the ability of cancer cells to grow and divide. It is used as the main treatment for sarcoma, but often in combination with chemotherapy or surgery to help improve outcome. It can complement surgery for tumors, which have a high likelihood of recurrence. Radiation can help destroy remaining cancer cells (Emory).
Conclusion
Modern techniques and technology have made remarkable...
In the meantime, the best minds in the medical community never stop to seek the precise means to combat the dread disease. At present, however, the most advanced approaches to the treatment of cancer have only been double-edged. While they endeavor to destroy cancer cells, they also destroy normal cells, which the patient needs precisely to survive. Radiation is used to treat cancer, yet it is also known to cause it. Chemotherapy is the last resort for metastasized cancer. There is no hard evidence to show that chemotherapy has saved any substantial number of lives. The promise of a five-year survival rate to a sarcoma patient only means that he or she may live longer than five years from the time of diagnosis. The treatment only improves the chances slightly. The medical community must admit that because it has not discovered what causes cancer, it cannot treat it. Present treatment modes, no matter how modern, have yet to offer encouraging realistic chances of survival to patients.
Bibliography
American Cancer Society (2007). How Are soft Tissue Sarcomas Staged? Cancer Reference Information. 2 pages. American Cancer Society: American Cancer Society, Inc. Retrieved on June 27, 2007 at http://cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3%_How_is_sarcoma_staged_38asp
Demetri, G. (2005). Sarcoma Facts. Sarcoma. Sarcoma.net. Retrieved on June 27, 2007 at http://www.sarcoma.net/facts.htm
Emory Winship Cancer Institute. (2006). Cancer Treatments - What to Expect? Emory Healthcare: Emory University. Retrieved on June 27, 2007 at http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/departments/wci/sarcoma/treatments.html
Understanding Sarcoma and Musculoskeletal Cancers. http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/departments/wci/sarcoma/understanding_sarcoma.html
Trent, J.C. (2006). Case History of Family with GIST. Abstract 9527, 1 page. GIST Support International Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology: MD Anderson Cancer Center
