Healthcare: Cancer Care

Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas

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Patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas are treated in the Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center by a multidisciplinary team of cancer experts. Orthopedic surgeons, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists, as well as other healthcare professionals, collaborate to create a coordinated, targeted approach to treatment. Our patients benefit from the latest advancements in clinical research and surgical techniques. If you have questions or want to make an appointment, call (832) 957-6500.

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What is a bone sarcoma?

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A bone sarcoma is a kind of tumor—a growth of abnormal cells in the bones. When the tumor grows out of control and destroys nearby tissue or spreads to other parts of the body, it's called malignant. That means it's a type of cancer.

Sarcoma is another name for a malignant bone tumor.

Bone cancer can spread to other parts of the body, like the lungs or lymph nodes.

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How is bone cancer treated?

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Treatment for bone cancer is based on the stage of the cancer and other things, such as your overall health. The main treatments include:

  • Surgery: You may need surgery to remove cancer from the bone or to remove part of the bone. A bone graft or metal part may be used to replace the bone that was removed. If cancer is found in an arm or a leg, the limb can usually be saved.
  • Chemotherapy: These medicines kill fast-growing cells, including cancer cells and some normal cells.
  • Radiation therapy: This uses high-dose X-rays to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors. It may be used along with surgery or after surgery.
 

For certain types of bone tumors, other treatments may be used, such as a stem cell transplant, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy.

Your doctor will talk with you about your options and then make a treatment plan.

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Clinical Trials

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The Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center's continued commitment to research helps improve present and future cancer care. 

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