Sarcomas in children

Sarcomas (see types below) are rare types of cancer that develop in the supporting structures of the body.

There are two main types: bone sarcomas and soft tissue sarcomas. Bone sarcomas can develop in any of the skeletan bones but may also develop in soft tissue near bones. Soft tissue sarcomas can develop in muscle, fat, blood vessels or in any of the other tissues that support, surround and protect the organs of the body.

Rhabdomyosarcoma

This is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. The tumour originates from the same embryonic cells that develop into voluntary muscles and develop from muscle or fibrous tissue and grow in any part of the body.

The most common areas of the body to be affected are around the head and neck, the bladder, or the testes. Sometimes tumours are also found in a muscle, a limb, in the chest, in the abdominal wall. Occasionally, if the tumour is in the head or neck, it can spread into the brain or to the spinal cord fluid.

Bone cancers – Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s Sarcoma

Primary bone cancer (primary = cancer starting in the bone) is not a generally common cancer, but the incidence of primary bone cancer is highest in children and adolescents.

Metastatic bone cancer (metastatic = cancer that has spread to the bone) is more common than primary bone cancer in all age groups, including children. Metastatic tumours occur more commonly in teenagers than in young children being quite rare in children under five.

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of primary bone cancer in children and young adults.

Osteosarcoma is a cancer that starts in the bone. It often starts at the ends of the bones, where new bone tissue forms as a young person grows. Any bone in the body can be affected, but the most common sites are the arms or legs, particularly around the knee joint.

There are several different types of osteosarcoma. Most occur in the centre of the bone and there are also rare subtypes, such as parosteal, periosteal telangiectatic, and small cell osteosarcoma. This cancer is more common in boys than girls.

Ewing’s sarcoma is named after Dr James Ewing, who described the tumour in the 1920s. It develops anywhere in the body, although most often starts in the bone. It is usually found in teenagers and more commonly affects boys than girls.

This cancer can affect any of the bones but the most common are pelvis, femur and tibia.

Rarely Ewing’s sarcoma will start in soft tissues and not in the bone. Although Ewing’s sarcoma is a type of bone cancer, it can also very rarely occur in the soft tissues rather than starting in the bone. This is called extraosseous Ewing’s sarcoma.