Treatment
Cancer
Sarcoma
Sarcoma
Treatments
Sarcoma treatment depends on the cancer's location, type, stage and other factors. Typically, your doctor will recommend some combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
- Surgery. For soft tissue sarcomas, surgery is the most common treatment and may be all that's needed in early stages. For bone sarcomas, surgery typically involves removing the tumor and a margin of healthy surrounding tissue, then using prostheses or bone from elsewhere in the patient's body to reconstruct the area.
- Radiation therapy. Also called radiotherapy, this treatment uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is restricted to a limited area and affects the cancer cells only in that area. It may be used before surgery to shrink a tumor or after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells in the treated area.
- Chemotherapy. This is the use of anticancer drugs to stop cancer growth, either by killing the cancer cells or preventing them from dividing. This approach is typically used for sarcomas that have spread beyond the bone or tissue of origin. Chemotherapy drugs may be delivered orally (as pills) or directly into the circulation (through an IV injection or catheter).
- Targeted therapy. Drugs or other substances are used to pinpoint and attack specific types of cancer cells (for instance, the therapy may block molecules that stimulate tumor growth). Your doctor may run tests to determine the genetic or molecular makeup of the tumor – information that can guide treatment choices. Targeted therapies tend to cause less damage to healthy cells than does chemotherapy or radiation.
- Immunotherapy. This treatment leverages the patient's own immune system to treat sarcoma. Substances are used to mobilize the body's natural defenses to kill cancer cells or prevent them from spreading.
UCSF Health medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your provider.
