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Sarcoma Screening

Sarcoma screening is difficult because the majority of sarcomas occur sporadically. our team of sarcoma experts at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University get you treated as swiftly as possible.

Screening for Sarcoma

Early detection for sarcoma can be extremely challenging because sarcomas tend not to trigger major symptoms or cause problems in their early stages. And because of the sheer number of sarcoma types and subtypes — more than 150 different sarcomas have been discovered so far — a screening test for sarcoma has not been developed.

Sarcoma screening is also made difficult because patients usually do not feel any signs or symptoms until the disease has reached an advanced stage. In many cases, a sarcoma is discovered during an imaging test or scan that is being done for another medical reason. This is known as an incidental diagnosis. Certain genetic tests can be used to understand if you have a greater risk of developing sarcoma, however, these tests are not typically used for early detection.

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor immediately:

  • A new lump or bump present underneath the skin
  • A lump or bump that appears to be growing in size (any mass that is larger than 3 centimeters should be evaluated by a doctor)
  • Abdominal pain
  • Pain in and around a bone for no apparent reason
  • Swelling around a bone
  • Inability to move or lift a limb

How Bone or Soft Tissue Sarcoma is Detected

There are various tests that can help narrow down a sarcoma diagnosis. In addition to a thorough physical examination, your doctor may conduct any of the following scans and procedures to test for the presence of a sarcoma:

  • X-Ray. With an X-ray, a doctor can see whether there are any deformities or abnormal growths within the bones.
  • Computed tomography (CT) scan. A CT scan takes detailed images of the inside of the body, creating a cross-sectional view so that an abnormal mass or growth can be identified. This scan is commonly used in the assessment of possible soft tissue tumors within the abdomen or chest.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Using large magnets and radio waves, MRI is an advanced method of viewing detailed pictures of the body’s soft tissue and bone components. This common imaging modality is used when assessing soft tissue tumors of the trunk and extremity.
  • Bone scan. Bone scans are nuclear medicine tests in which a tracer — a small amount of radioactive substance — is injected into the body. This tracer is absorbed to a higher degree by cells that are undergoing changes, helping physicians identify abnormal areas within bone.
  • Positron emission tomography (PET) scan. This type of imaging test injects a patient with a form of radioactive sugar that can be absorbed by cancer cells. A special camera is then used to detect these abnormal areas of uptake.
  • Biopsy. A small sample of tissue from the abnormal growth or mass is extracted and analyzed by a sarcoma pathologist.

A critical component in diagnosing sarcoma is having an expert sarcoma pathologist review the biopsy tissue. At Winship, we have world-renowned sarcoma pathologists who study sarcoma samples on a regular basis.