Sarcoma can happen in anyone, at any age. It can be inherited from your parents or developed by chance, depending on a number of possible causes.
Having any of these risk factors does not mean you will receive a sarcoma diagnosis. What it does mean is that regular monitoring and conversations with your physician become more important.
What Causes Sarcoma?
There are some links between risk factors and sarcoma, but right now, the cause isn’t clear. WashU Medicine physicians and scientists at Siteman continue to research it to discover ways of preventing this cancer.
Who Is At Higher Risk for Sarcoma?
Right now, we can’t predict who will or won’t develop sarcoma in their lifetime. But there are some groups of people who are at a higher risk than others.
Some things can increase your chances of getting sarcoma:
- Health history:
- Past treatment with radiation therapy
- Genetic conditions like Li-Fraumeni syndrome or Rothmund-Thomson syndrome
- Having Paget disease
- Chronic lymphedema (long-term swelling)
- Changes (abnormalities) in certain genes (TP53, retinoblastoma, or NF1)
- Environment:
- Exposure to harmful chemicals like herbicides, dioxin, or vinyl chloride
- Exposure to human herpes virus 8
The NF1 Program at Siteman
Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is the most common tumor predisposition syndrome and occurs in approximately one out of every 3,000 births. NF1 has also been referred to as peripheral neurofibromatosis or von Recklinghausen disease.
WashU Medicine physicians at Siteman Cancer Center have a specialized clinical NF1 program for patients who have this known genetic condition. This can help you and your family understand their options for reducing cancer risk and make plans for the future.
Ask your care team for more information or read more about genetic counseling at Siteman.
How Can I Lower My Risk?
Sarcoma has risk factors, like health history, that you just can’t control. But if you have a number of risk factors and are worried, talk with your doctor.
If you’ve had cancer before, your physician will monitor you closely. If you are at elevated risk, you can request monitoring to catch any early signs or symptoms.
The power of healthy living is hard to overestimate. A large percentage of cancers and many other chronic diseases can be prevented by things like eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, keeping weight in check, and getting important screening tests.
The best part? These are things under your control. Take some simple steps to improve your health, and help your family do the same.
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