Sarcoma Types

What Is Sarcoma?

Sarcoma is a type of cancer that starts in the connective tissue of the body.

This includes:

Sarcoma can start in any place in the body, and there are more than 50 distinct types depending on the tissue involved.

Sarcomas are rare in adults, making up about 1% of cancers. But they make up about 15% of childhood cancers.

When you come to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center for sarcoma treatment, you're in expert hands.

We care for people with primary and metastatic sarcoma.

We treat a full range of common and rare sarcomas, including:

Bone/soft tissue sarcoma, which forms in soft tissues like blood vessels, muscle, or fat.
Ewing sarcoma, a type of childhood cancer that forms in bone and soft tissues.
Kaposi's sarcoma, which forms in the skin, mucus membranes, lymph nodes, skin, and other organs.
Leiomyosarcoma, which forms in the smooth muscle cells of the body.
Osteosarcoma, which forms in bone.
Soft tissue sarcoma, which begins in supporting tissues of the body. These include muscle, fat, fibrous tissue, and blood vessels.

Our goal is to treat your cancer with minimal side effects so you can still live your life.

The cause of sarcoma is often unknown, but age and genetics seem to play a role in the disease.

Prior radiation treatment also increases your risk.

To achieve the best results, our experts offer state-of-the-art sarcoma care, including:

Imaging tests and biopsies to diagnose sarcoma.
Staging to design the best treatment plan. Stage 1 is the least advanced and Stage 4 is the most advanced.
The latest surgical techniques to treat bone cancers.
Chemotherapy before or after surgery, or to treat cancer that has spread to other organs.
Targeted therapies where small molecules block the pathways that cancer cells use to survive and multiply.

We're the only comprehensive cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute in western Pa. and one of only three in Pa. This means you have access to sarcoma clinical trials that you might not find elsewhere.
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center has more than 70 locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and western New York.
Even if you've received sarcoma screening or care at another center, we have treatment options for you.

To learn more about sarcoma care or to make an appointment, you can: