July is Sarcoma Awareness Month!
Sarcomas are often coined the “forgotten cancer” because they are both rare and under-diagnosed.
Sarcoma awareness month is all about educating the public on the symptoms and diagnosis of sarcoma, in the hope that more cases will get spotted sooner, because, as is the case with most cancers, treatment is vastly more successful the earlier it is diagnosed.
Dr. James Harris, a surgical oncologist with Western Surgical Group, treats patients with sarcomas.
“A sarcoma”, says Dr. Harris, “is when a malignant tumor grows in the connective tissues of the body. Soft tissues includes tendons, cartilage, tissue, muscles, fat and even blood vessels.”
Soft tissue sarcomas affect just over 11,000 people in the US per year, which is very rare.
“Most soft tissue sarcomas occur in the legs, and second most common are in the chest or abdomen. However, they can happen anywhere on the body as soft tissue is the connective element to our entire body.” says Dr. Harris.
Get more patient information about sarcomas here on our website!