Sarcomas are a type of cancer that grows in connective tissue, such as bones, muscles, tendons, fat, and other parts that support and connect your organs and other tissues.
There are many different types of sarcoma, and they can be classified into two main kinds: soft tissue sarcoma and bone sarcoma.
Types of Sarcoma in Children
The most common soft tissue sarcoma in children is rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that develops in immature muscle cells called rhabdomyoblasts. About half of all pediatric soft tissue sarcomas are rhabdomyosarcoma. Others include fibrosarcoma, mesenchymoma, synovial sarcoma, liposarcoma and more.
Most pediatric bone cancers are either osteosarcoma or Ewing’s sarcoma. Osteosarcoma, the most common bone cancer in children, usually forms in the long bones of the arms and legs. Ewing’s sarcoma usually forms in the pelvis, thigh, lower leg, upper arm or rib, though bone cancers can form in any bone in the body.
Sarcomas can occur at any age. Most rhabdomyosarcoma cases are diagnosed in children under 10. Other soft tissue sarcomas and bone sarcomas are most commonly diagnosed in adolescents and young adults.
Symptoms of Sarcomas in Children
Soft tissue sarcomas often cause a lump on the child’s body. Depending on the location, symptoms can include:
- A lump or swelling that is firm and painless to touch
- Abdominal pain
- Hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing (for tumors on the neck)
- Difficulty urinating (for bladder tumors)
- Drooping eyelids, protruding eyeball, vision changes (for orbital tumors)
The most common symptom for bone sarcomas is bone pain. Other symptoms can include:
- A lump on the bone
- Stiffness, swelling or tenderness around a bone or joint
- Limping (for tumors on a leg bone)
- Broken bones
- Fatigue, fever, weight loss, anemia
Because many of the symptoms of bone cancers are common in healthy adolescents and young adults, they are often mistaken for sports injuries or growing pains and can take a long time to diagnose.
Treatment for Sarcomas in Children
The goal of treatment for soft tissue sarcomas and bone sarcomas is usually to remove as much of the tumor as possible with surgery. Radiation and chemotherapy may also be used to shrink the tumor, or to kill any cancer cells that are left behind or that couldn’t be removed with surgery.
Rehabilitation is an important part of recovery from bone sarcoma surgery. Depending on the location of the tumor, some children with bone sarcomas may need to have bone grafts or implants to replace some of the bone that was removed, and sometimes they may need to have part of a limb amputated to get rid of all the cancer. Physical and occupational therapy can help sarcoma survivors learn to walk, move and resume a normal life again, sometimes with the help of braces, splints, walking aids or prosthetic devices.
Prognosis for Children with Sarcoma
The prognosis for children with sarcoma varies and depends on several factors:
- The type of tumor
- The child’s age at diagnosis
- The size and location of the tumor
- Whether the whole tumor can be removed surgically
- How well the tumor responds to radiation and chemotherapy
- Whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body
Overall, about 60% of children with bone sarcoma and 50% of children with rhabdomyosarcoma survive. For other soft tissue sarcomas, survival rates are high if the tumor can be completely removed with surgery, and much lower if it has metastasized (spread beyond its original location).
Sometimes sarcomas come back after treatment. When that happens, the chances of survival are usually poor.
Colton’s Story
The first sign that something was wrong with Stephanie’s son Colton was the facial droop. Then came the ear pain and the dizziness. In a matter of weeks they would learn that what they thought was a bad ear infection was something much worse — parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma.
Because of the tumor’s location in the middle of the ear, surgery wasn’t an option. Colton started on a long journey of 15 months of chemo and radiation and 30 rounds of proton therapy. “Chemotherapy made Colton very sick and he had neuropathy in his hands and feet, but he never let that steal his joy,” Stephanie said.
Colton finished treatment on January 8 and is enjoying spending time at home with his family. He’s still dealing with the side effects of treatment, and he lives with the knowledge that his cancer could come back at any time. But Colton is staying positive, and he looks forward to starting kindergarten in the fall, playing baseball, and one day playing ice hockey like his big brother.
July is Sarcoma Awareness Month. Help children like Colton get the support they need to fight cancer, even after treatment is over. Donate to the American Childhood Cancer Organization today.
Chase is a swimming enthusiast to say the least. He was a star swimmer on his team and during an out of town swim meet, he was having trouble. Chase’s teammates were upset with him because they thought he was not putting forth the effort but when he teared up doing leg lifts his coach (and father) knew there was something more going on. His parents thought it was just a torn muscle after observing his swollen legs and when the family got back into town, they went to the doctor. An x-ray was taken and showed a large tumor on his femur. The following week, Chase had a biopsy and for the next year he had chemotherapy and multiple surgeries. At that point, he was declared to have no evidence of disease.
In 2016, doctors found another mass near his femur and in his lymph nodes in his groin. Chemotherapy and radiation started almost immediately and in the summer of 2018, he was declared with no evidence of disease. Chase started a maintenance drug for the next two years and in March 2019, a small nodule was found in his lower left lung. Chase had surgery to remove part of his left lung with no radiation or chemotherapy. In April 2019, doctors found another tumor behind his esophagus and left lung.
In April, Chase married his soulmate, Sadie Mills. “Sadie has been regarded as my angel. She calms me down when I am spiked up and having trouble with pain. She is able to get my heart rate down.” Chase and Sadie began dating just six months before getting married and according to the couple, they knew they were soulmates from the beginning. After meeting at a swim meet and exchanging phone numbers, they texted back and forth for a few weeks. Finally, Chase asked Sadie on a date. The weekend that they were supposed to go out, Chase realized that he had his SAT test among other commitments. He explained it to Sadie who said, “If you want to go on a date with me, you will find time.” Chase knew after that comment that Sadie would fit right in with his family and lovingly calls her a “spitfire.” For the first couple months of dating, they had deep conversations which helped speed up their dating process. Within the first couple weeks, Chase knew that he wanted to marry Sadie.
Faith has helped Chase and his family get through his cancer journey and Chase tells people any chance he can. “If you are positive everyday, at least you are taking something out of the cards you are dealt with.” Chase’s mom, Kelli suggests that parents should question the doctors until you get the answer you’re seeking. She says, “get a second opinion if it doesn’t feel right for you. It’s so easy to take what the doctor says. My son is not a number, he is not a statistic in the text books.” Both Brad and Sadie agree that Chase has taught them to cherish each day and not to waste them. 
Eva’s legacy lives on in the series, “Eva’s Adventures,” which is Tracy’s passion project. She wanted her legacy of helping people to live on and has gone on to open up a charity of her very own and a park which features a “smuddle” park bench. They have held various fundraisers which has enabled the family to donate funds to other families in need and for cancer research in Ireland.
Meet Jericho, a 4 year old B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia warrior.
David was brought into the PICU almost immediately where they met the oncologist who advised David and Elizabeth about David Jr.’s condition, DIPG. Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) remains one of the deadliest forms of childhood cancer, with a long-term survival rate of less than 1%. After receiving the diagnosis from the oncologist, David’s parents decided they wanted to get a biopsy even though that was against the head of pediatric neurosurgery. They were advised that having the biopsy would not change the result and a cure didn’t currently exist.
swallow to talking like normal, walking normally and getting around with no assistance!
