Sarcomas

Liposarcoma

Liposarcoma is a tumor derived from primitive cells that undergo adipose differentiation. It is largely a disease of adults, its incidence peaking between the ages of 40 and 60 years, and it shows a slight predominance toward men. Dr. Mark Gebhardt of the Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital, Boston and Dr. Peter Buecker of Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Surgery, have written an in-depth article, Liposarcoma, for the Electronic Sarcoma Update Newsletter (ESUN). Their article gives an extensive set of references to articles dealing with this disease. We are grateful to them for finding the time to undertake this project. Click on the above link to view their article.

There are over 50 subtypes of sarcoma. The American Cancer Society's Key Statistics About Sarcoma states that the most common types of soft tissue sarcoma are: MFH or Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma (28%), liposarcoma (15%), LMS or leiomyosarcoma (12%), synovial sarcoma (10%), malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (6%), and rhabdomyosarcoma (5%). All of the other types of soft tissue sarcoma occur at percentages of 3% or less. The ACS' Key Statistics for Bone Cancer states that the most common types of bone cancer are osteosarcoma (35%), chondrosarcoma (26%), Ewing's bone sarcoma (16%), chordoma (8%), and malignant fibrous histiocytoma/fibrosarcoma (6%). Other rare bone cancers account for the remaining 9%.

 

Where else can you learn about Liposarcoma? Steve Dunn's CancerGuide provides a very useful starting point for undertaking investigations into cancer and cancer-related issues on the Internet. Among other things, he discusses how to research the medical literature and how to use and access medical databases and online resources. He explains the medical research cycle, where to get medical references and describes the various types of papers in the medical literature, and how to find and use a medical library. A word of caution: while the Internet is a wonderful tool to gain access to information, simply because information appears on the Internet does not necessarily indicate that it is accurate or truthful. Any heath information that you obtain on the internet should be reviewed with your physician. Interested readers are encouraged to continue their investigation about liposarcoma at the following websites, which are listed in alphabetical order: eMedicine’s Website Frontiers in Bioscience Medscape from WebMD The Cancer Answers Website The Doctor’s Doctor Website The Maxillofacial Center for Education & Research