sarcoom

Sarcoom, more commonly spelled sarcoma in English, refers to malignant tumors that arise from mesenchymal tissues such as bone, muscle, fat, cartilage, or blood vessels. They contrast with carcinomas, which originate from epithelial cells. Sarcomas can occur anywhere but most often affect the limbs and trunk. They are categorized into soft tissue sarcomas and bone sarcomas.

Soft tissue sarcomas include liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. Bone sarcomas include osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and Ewing sarcoma. The tumors are heterogeneous; prognosis and treatment depend on histology, grade, size, and location.

Pathogenesis involves diverse genetic alterations; some subtypes have characteristic translocations (for example, synovial sarcoma with t(X;18)).

Clinical presentation is typically a painless, enlarging mass; symptoms may include pain or functional limitation if the tumor compresses structures. Metastasis frequently involves the lungs.

Diagnosis combines imaging (MRI for soft tissue, CT or MRI for bone) and histopathology from biopsy, with immunohistochemistry and genetic testing guiding subtype classification. Staging assesses local extent and distant disease.

Treatment is usually multimodal: surgical resection with negative margins, often plus radiotherapy; chemotherapy is used in selected histologies and settings. Limb-sparing surgery is preferred when possible. Prognosis varies by subtype, grade, size, and metastatic status; localized disease offers better survival.

In English, "sarcoma" is the standard spelling; "sarcoom" appears in some languages or older texts and is not commonly used in contemporary medical writing.