Sarcoma Service

What is Sarcoma?

Sarcomas are uncommon cancers that develop in the muscle, bone, nerves, cartilage, tendons, blood vessels, fatty & fibrous tissues.

There are around 100 different types of sarcoma that fall into three main categories:

• Soft Tissue Sarcoma
• Primary Bone Sarcoma
• Gastro-Intestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST), a soft tissue sarcoma found in the stomach and intestines.

Sarcoma commonly affects the arms, legs and trunk; however, they can affect almost any part of the body, on the inside or outside. Sarcomas can also develop in the stomach and intestines as well as behind the abdomen (Retroperitoneal sarcomas) and in the female reproductive system (Gynecological).

Sarcoma is therefore a general term and contains many different types of malignant tumour which are named depending on their original tissue of origin. Broadly they are grouped into soft tissue sarcoma and bone sarcoma.

Soft tissue sarcoma examples include:

• Liposarcoma (A malignant tumour of fat cells)
• Leiomyosarcoma (A malignant tumour of smooth muscle)
• Rhabdomyosarcoma (A malignant tumour of striated muscle cells)
• Fibrosarcoma (A malignant tumour of fibrous tissue)
• Synovial sarcoma (A malignant tumour of synovial tissue)
• Angiosarcoma (A malignant tumour of blood vessels).

Sarcomas are graded depending on certain pathological features into low grade, intermediate grade and high grade.  The higher the grade the greater the chance of the tumour returning following treatment and of distant spread.

Around 5300 new cases of sarcoma are diagnosed each year in the UK – which is 15 people every day.

1.4% of all cancers diagnosed in the UK are Sarcoma.

Manchester Foundation Trust is one of 15 dedicated sarcoma services in the country, we deal with approximately 1500 referrals each year – which consist of benign fatty lumps, complex benign conditions and around 70 confirmed sarcoma cases.

What if I think I have sarcoma?

If you are worried that you might have a sarcoma or have felt/seen a lump that is the size of a golf ball or bigger, you should go and see your family doctor (GP) as soon as possible. Your GP will then decide whether you should be sent to see a doctor who specialises in sarcomas.

If you are referred to a specialist centre, a number of things will happen. Firstly you will be seen by the surgeon, who will clinically examine you and decide whether further investigations are needed. There are a number of diagnostic tests that can be carried out to help with the diagnostic pathway.

Diagnostic tests:

Xray

Ultrasound (USS)

Biopsy – (usually under USS guidance)

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

CT (Computer Tomography)

Bone Scan

Treatment

Treatment for sarcoma will depend on the grade (how like normal tissue the tumour cells are) and stage of the tumour (whether it has spread to other areas). The treatment for cancer is decided on an individual basis, so the treatment may not be the same for everyone. In most cases, surgery is the treatment choice for soft tissue sarcomas but can also include pre-operative or post-operative radiotherapy.

Surgery is primarily carried out at Manchester Foundation Trust (MRI). Patients are admitted to either The Elective Treatment Centre at Manchester Royal Infirmary (Tel no. 0161 276 8688) or Trafford General Hospital (Tel no.0161 746 2100) for surgery. On occasions surgery can also happen at the Christie hospital.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy, is performed at The Christie Hospital, Manchester.

We also offer an advisory service for Metastatic Bone Disease (Secondary bone cancer)

The place where a cancer starts in the body is known as the primary cancer. A malignant (cancerous) tumour is made up of millions of cancer cells. Some of these cells may break away from the primary cancer and travel in the bloodstream to another part of the body. The cancer cells may settle in that part of the body and then form a new tumour. If this happens, it’s called secondary cancer or a metastasis

Secondary cancer in the bone is when cancer cells spread to the bone from a primary tumour elsewhere in the body. Sometimes only one area of bone is affected, but in some people the cancer spreads to a number of sites. Secondary cancers in the bone might also be called bone secondaries. Bone secondaries often develop in different bones in the body, and not all secondaries will cause symptoms or problems.

About Our Team at MFT

The Sarcoma Service here at Manchester Foundation Trust is made up of surgeons, Specialist nurses, physiotherapists, pathologists, radiologists and co-ordinators who diagnose and treat sarcoma tumours.

We work together to try and ensure the best possible service is provided to those people where sarcoma is a potential diagnosis, and to those where it has been diagnosed and requires treatment. We also regularly monitor those that have been treated to ensure that the treatments have worked, and to promptly deal with sarcoma tumours that recur.

Our strengths and expertise lie within:

• A dedicated surgical team for the surgical management of bone and soft tissue tumours
• A specialist histopathology service
• Dedicated sarcoma Clinical Nurse Specialists
• A weekly multidisciplinary team meeting

Out-patient Clinics:

Our Multi-Disciplinary Team Meetings (MDT) are held on a weekly basis. Patients who have newly been referred to the service will be discussed on a Tuesday morning.

Location

Main Outpatients

Clinic Suite E

Ground Floor

Manchester Royal Infirmary

Oxford Road

Manchester

M13 9WL

The Clinical team at Manchester Foundation Trust (MFT) :

Referrals:

All urgent referrals should be emailed to mft.uhsmcancerservices@nhs.net, when referring a patient please ensure any scans or X-Ray reports are sent urgently to the department or to our PACS System.

If you suspect a primary bone tumor, please direct your referral to the Montgomery Unit, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust, Oswestry using rjah.tumour@nhs.net

Referral form 

Additional Information

Support contacts

The authors of this site do not endorse any particular groups, and anyone looking for a support group is advised to find out more about the group, including who runs it, what it offers and what its aims are.

Sarcoma UK
49-51 East Road
London
N1 6AH
Tel: 0808 801 0401
Email: supportline@sarcoma.org.uk
Web site: www.sarcoma.org.uk

https://sarcoma.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/understanding_sarcoma_2019_digital.pdf

Freephone helpline 0808 800 1234
Support and information for people affected by cancer, including over 50 booklets and 134 factsheets on cancer, treatment and living with cancer
Helpline staffed by nurse specialists

Macmillan Cancer Support
89 Albert Embankment
London
SE1 7EQ

Macmillan Cancer Line

freephone helpline 0808 808 2020
Textphone: 0808 808 0121
www.macmillan.org.uk

Support and information for people affected by cancer, including information on cancer support and care charities in the UK, leaflets/booklets about different cancers and living with cancer.

Cancer Aid and Listening Line
Tel: 0845 123 23 29
Confidential helpline for people affected by cancer, run by trained volunteers with personal experience of cancer. www.canceraid.co.uk

Northwest Sarcoma Social Group

Friendship & Emotional Support for patients, relatives, careers & anyone affected by sarcoma,

Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of January, March, May, September & November. Meetings will be held at The Maggie’s Centre, Robert Parfett Building, The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, 15 Kinnard Road, Manchester, M20 4QL.