Print Overview Soft tissue sarcoma Enlarge image Close Soft tissue sarcoma Soft tissue sarcoma Soft tissue sarcomas are cancers that start in the soft tissues of the body. This illustration shows a soft tissue sarcoma of the thigh muscle just above the knee. Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in the body's soft tissues. The soft tissues connect, support and surround other body structures. Soft tissues include muscle, fat, blood vessels, nerves, tendons and linings of the joints. Soft tissue sarcoma can happen anywhere in the body. It happens most often in the arms, legs and belly. More than 50 types of soft tissue sarcoma exist. Some types are more likely to affect children. Others affect mostly adults. These cancers can be hard to diagnose because they may be mistaken for many other types of growths. Soft tissue sarcoma treatment usually involves surgery. Other treatments might include radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Treatment depends on the size, type and location of the cancer and how quickly it grows.Products & ServicesA Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health BookNewsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital EditionShow more products from Mayo Clinic Types Angiosarcoma Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans Epithelioid sarcoma Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) Kaposi sarcoma Leiomyosarcoma Liposarcoma Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors Myxofibrosarcoma Rhabdomyosarcoma Solitary fibrous tumor Synovial sarcoma Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma SymptomsA soft tissue sarcoma may not cause any symptoms at first. As the cancer grows, it may cause: A noticeable lump or swelling. Pain, if the growth presses on nerves or muscles. When to see a doctorMake an appointment with your health care team if you have any symptoms that worry you. Request an appointment There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. Get Mayo Clinic cancer expertise delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and receive an in-depth guide to coping with cancer, plus helpful information on how to get a second opinion. You can unsubscribe at any time. Click here for an email preview. Email address I would like to learn more about Up-to-date cancer news & research Mayo Clinic cancer care & management options ErrorSelect a topic ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Address 1 Subscribe Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Thank you for subscribing Your in-depth coping with cancer guide will be in your inbox shortly. You will also receive emails from Mayo Clinic on the latest about cancer news, research, and care. If you don’t receive our email within 5 minutes, check your SPAM folder, then contact us at newsletters@mayoclinic.com. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry CausesIt's not clear what causes most soft tissue sarcomas. Soft tissue sarcoma starts when a connective tissue cell gets changes in its DNA. A cell's DNA holds the instructions that tell a cell what to do. The changes turn the connective tissue cells into cancer cells. The changes tell the cancer cells to grow and make more cells. Healthy cells die as part of their natural cycle, but cancer cells keep growing because they do not have instructions to stop. The cancer cells form a growth, called a tumor. In some types of soft tissue sarcoma, the cancer cells stay in one location. They continue making more cells and cause the tumor to get bigger. In other types of soft tissue sarcoma, the cancer cells might break away and spread to other parts of the body. The type of cell with DNA changes is what determines the type of soft tissue sarcoma. For example, angiosarcoma begins in cells in the lining of blood vessels, while liposarcoma starts in fat cells. Some types of soft tissue sarcoma include: Angiosarcoma. Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. Epithelioid sarcoma. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). Kaposi's sarcoma. Leiomyosarcoma. Liposarcoma. Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor. Myxofibrosarcoma. Rhabdomyosarcoma. Solitary fibrous tumor. Synovial sarcoma. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. Risk factorsFactors that may raise the risk of sarcoma include: Inherited syndromes. A risk of soft tissue sarcoma can run in families. Genetic syndromes that increase the risk include hereditary retinoblastoma, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis, neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis and Werner syndrome. Chemical exposure. Being exposed to certain chemicals may increase the risk of soft tissue sarcomas. These chemicals include herbicides, arsenic and dioxin. Radiation exposure. Radiation therapy for other cancers can increase the risk of soft tissue sarcomas. By Mayo Clinic Staff Soft tissue sarcoma care at Mayo Clinic Request an appointment Diagnosis & treatment Dec. 04, 2024 Print Living with soft tissue sarcoma? Connect with others like you for support and answers to your questions in the Sarcoma support group on Mayo Clinic Connect, a patient community. Sarcoma Discussions Leiomyosarcoma: What can I expect now? 60 Replies Sun, Dec 08, 2024 chevron-right Diagnosed with sarcoma? Let's share 851 Replies Sun, Dec 08, 2024 chevron-right Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma 78 Replies Thu, Nov 21, 2024 chevron-right See more discussions Show references Townsend CM Jr, et al. Soft tissue sarcoma. In: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery: The Biological Basis of Modern Surgical Practice. 21st ed. Elsevier; 2022. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Feb. 23, 2023. Soft tissue sarcoma. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. https://www.nccn.org/guidelines/guidelines-detail?category=1&id=1464. Accessed Sept. 26, 2022. Goldman L, et al., eds. Malignant tumors of bone, sarcomas, and other soft tissue neoplasms. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Elsevier; 2020. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Feb. 19, 2023. Goldblum JR, et al., eds. Enzinger and Weiss's Soft Tissue Tumors. 7th ed. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed March 5, 2023. Niederhuber JE, et al., eds. Sarcomas of soft tissue. In: Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Elsevier; 2020. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Sept. 26, 2022. Soft tissue sarcoma treatment (PDQ) — Patient version. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/types/soft-tissue-sarcoma/patient/adult-soft-tissue-treatment-pdq. Accessed Feb. 19, 2023. Childhood soft tissue sarcoma treatment (PDQ) — Patient version. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/types/soft-tissue-sarcoma/hp/child-soft-tissue-treatment-pdq. Accessed Feb. 19, 2023. Taking time: Support for people with cancer. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/taking-time. Accessed Feb. 19, 2023. Gamboa AC, et al. Soft-tissue sarcoma in adults: An update on the current state of histiotype-specific management in an era of personalized medicine. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2020; doi:10.3322/caac.21605. Ami TR. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 5, 2023. Sarcoma centers. Sarcoma Alliance. https://sarcomaalliance.org/sarcoma-centers/. Accessed Feb. 17, 2023. SARC clinical trials. Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration. https://sarctrials.org/research/sarc-clinical-trials/. Accessed Feb. 19, 2023. Salerno KE, et al. Radiation therapy for treatment of soft tissue sarcoma in adults: Executive summary of an ASTRO clinical practice guideline. Practical Radiation Oncology. 2021; doi:10.1016/j.prro.2021.04.005. Brinkmann EJ, et al. Extremity soft tissue sarcoma: Role of local control. Current Treatment Options in Oncology. 2020; doi:10.1007/s11864-020-0703-9. Related Soft tissue sarcoma Associated Procedures Chemotherapy CT scan MRI Needle biopsy Positron emission tomography scan Radiation therapy Ultrasound X-ray Show more associated procedures News from Mayo Clinic Fluorescent green dye helps surgeons reduce complications after surgery for people with soft tissue sarcoma Dec. 24, 2023, 12:00 p.m. CDT Products & Services A Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health Book Newsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital Edition Show more products and services from Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, have been recognized among the top Cancer hospitals in the nation for 2024-2025 by U.S. News & World Report. Learn more about this top honor Soft tissue sarcomaSymptoms&causesDiagnosis&treatmentDoctors&departmentsCare atMayoClinic Advertisement Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. 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There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. Get Mayo Clinic cancer expertise delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and receive an in-depth guide to coping with cancer, plus helpful information on how to get a second opinion. You can unsubscribe at any time. Click here for an email preview. Email address I would like to learn more about Up-to-date cancer news & research Mayo Clinic cancer care & management options ErrorSelect a topic ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Address 1 Subscribe Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Thank you for subscribing Your in-depth coping with cancer guide will be in your inbox shortly. You will also receive emails from Mayo Clinic on the latest about cancer news, research, and care. If you don’t receive our email within 5 minutes, check your SPAM folder, then contact us at newsletters@mayoclinic.com. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry