S

sarcoma Cancer that arises from connective tis-
sue such as BONE, TENDON, CARTILAGE, fat, MUSCLE,
and other soft tissues. Sarcomas may also develop
within the walls of BLOODvessels, which contain
connective tissue. Treatment generally combines
surgery to remove the tumor with RADIATION THER-
APY or, less commonly, CHEMOTHERAPY. Radiation
exposure, such as occurs with radiation therapy
for other cancers or with accidental or industrial
exposure, increases the risk for sarcoma.

TYPES OF SARCOMA

Tumor Location
chondrosarcoma CARTILAGE
dermatofibrosarcoma SKIN
fibrosarcoma fibrous connective tissue (fibroblast
proliferation)
hemangiosarcoma BLOODvessel
KAPOSI’S SARCOMA connective tissue of skin, mucous
membranes, organs
leiomyoma smooth MUSCLE, such as the UTERUS
liposarcoma fatty tissue
neurofibrosarcoma nerves
osteosarcoma BONE
synovial sarcoma synovial membrane of a JOINT

See also ADENOCARCINOMA; BLASTOMA; CARCINOMA;
LIPOMA; NEUROFIBROMATOSIS; SURGERY FOR CANCER.

screening for cancer See CANCER PREVENTION.

sentinel lymph node dissection Surgery to
remove and biopsy the first LYMPH NODE in the
LY M P Hnetwork that drains lymph from the loca-
tion of a cancerous tumor. The sentinel node is
important in determining the course of treatment
for the cancer because it would be the first lymph
structure to which cancer cells would migrate in

METASTASIS. During the OPERATIONto remove the

tumor, the surgeon injects a dye into the tissues at

the tumor’s location. The first lymph node to

show the presence of the dye is the sentinel node,

which the surgeon then removes. If cancer cells

are in the sentinel node, then the surgeon

removes additional lymph nodes and possibly

more tissue surrounding the tumor. If there are no

cancer cells in the sentinel node, then the surgeon

does not need to remove any further tissue. Sen-

tinel lymph node dissection is increasingly com-

mon in surgery for BREAST CANCER, malignant

melanoma, and other cancers that may remain

localized.

See also LYMPHEDEMA; STAGING AND GRADING OF

CANCER; SURGERY FOR CANCER.

signs and symptoms of cancer Though each

type of cancer has specific signs and symptoms,

some symptoms are universal to nearly all types of

cancer. Such symptoms include

• unintended weight loss, often rapid


• general sense of not feeling well (malaise)


• fatigue that does not improve with sleep and
  rest


• unexplained FEVERor night sweats


• swollen though painless LY M P Hnodes


• unexplained loss of APPETITE

Early symptoms are general and may indicate

numerous health conditions other than cancer.

However, early detection and diagnosis of cancer

presents the best opportunity for successful treat-

ment. Possible cancer symptoms in combination

with risk factors such as age over 50 years, ciga-

rette smoking, or OBESITYare more suspicious.

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