Shoulder Tumor

Cancer originates when cells begin to grow uncontrollably. Almost any cell in the body can become cancer and spread to other areas. In orthopedic surgery and traumatology there are also surgeries for musculoskeletal tumors, that is to say not only of the bony system but also of the soft parts of our organism (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.), it is important that as surgery we know how to distinguish between benign and malignant tumors, since the difference implies a totally different lifestyle for the patient.

There are many types of soft tissue tumors, but not all are cancerous. Many benign tumors are found in soft tissues. The word "benign" means that it is not cancer. These tumors cannot spread to other parts of the body. Some soft tissue tumors behave in ways that are between a cancerous tumor and a noncancerous tumor. These are called intermediate soft tissue tumors.

When the word sarcoma is part of the name of a disease, it means that the tumor is malignant (cancerous). A sarcoma is a type of cancer that originates in tissues such as bones or muscles. Bone and soft tissue sarcomas are major types of sarcoma. Soft tissue sarcomas can originate in soft tissues, such as adipose, muscular, nervous, and fibrous tissues, as well as in blood vessels or deep tissues of the skin. These can be found anywhere in the body. Most sarcomas originate in the arms or legs. They can also be found in the trunk, head, and neck area, internal organs, and the back area of the abdominal cavity (known as the retroperitoneum). Sarcomas are not common tumors.

Sarcomas that most often originate in the bones, such as osteosarcomas, and sarcomas that occur more often in children, such as tumors belonging to the Ewing family and rhabdomyosarcoma, are not discussed in this article.

There are more than 50 different types of soft tissue sarcomas. Some are quite rare, and not all are included in this article:

• Adult fibrosarcoma

  usually affects the fibrous tissue in the legs, arms, or trunk. It occurs most often among people ages 20 to 60, although it can occur in people of any age, including infants.

• Alveolar soft tissue sarcoma

  is a rare type of cancer that predominantly affects young adults. These tumors most often originate in the legs.

• Angiosarcoma

  can arise from blood vessels (hemangiosarcomas) or lymph vessels (lymphangiosarcomas). These tumors sometimes begin in a part of the body that has been treated with radiation. Angiosarcomas are sometimes seen in the breast after radiation therapy and in the extremities with lymphedema.

• Clear cell sarcoma

  is a rare cancer that often originates in the tendons of the arms or legs. When viewed under a microscope, it has some characteristics of malignant melanoma, a type of cancer that originates in the skin cells that produce the pigment. It is unknown how cancerous tumors with these characteristics arise in parts of the body other than the skin.

• Desmoplastic small round cell tumor

  is a rare sarcoma that affects adolescents and young adults. It is most often found in the abdomen (belly).

• Epithelioid sarcoma

  most often originates in tissues beneath the skin of the hands, forearms, feet, or lower legs. It often affects adolescents and young adults.

• Low grade fibromyxoid sarcoma

  is a slow-growing cancer that most often originates as painless growth in the trunk or in the arms and legs (especially the thigh). It most often affects young and middle-aged adults. It is also sometimes called Evans tumor.

• Gastrointestinal stromal tumor

  is a type of sarcoma that originates in the digestive tract.

• Kaposi's sarcoma

  is a type of sarcoma that originates from cells that line the lymph or blood vessels.

• Liposarcomas

  are malignant tumors of fat tissue. They can originate anywhere in the body, but arise most often in the thighs, behind the knee, and inside the back of the abdomen. They occur mostly in adults between the ages of 50 and 65.

• Malignant mesenchymoma

  is a rare type of sarcoma that has fibrosarcoma characteristics and characteristics of at least two other types of sarcoma.

• Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

  include neurofibrosarcomas, malignant schwannomas, and neurogenic sarcomas. These are sarcomas that originate in cells surrounding a nerve.

• Low-grade myxo fibrosarcomas

  are most commonly found in the arms and legs of older patients. They are more common on or under the skin and there may be more than one tumor.

• Rhabdomyosarcoma

  is the most common type of soft tissue sarcoma that occurs in children.

• Synovial sarcoma

  is a malignant tumor of the tissue surrounding the joints. It tends to occur most often in the hip, knees, ankles, and shoulders. This tumor is most common in children and young adults, although it may occur in the elderly.

• Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma

  (formerly known as malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH)) is usually found in the arms or legs. Less often, it may originate inside the back of the abdomen (the retroperitoneum). This sarcoma occurs more often in older adults. It usually tends to grow into other tissues around where it started, but can spread to distant parts of the body.

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