What Causes Sarcoma?
There are some links between risk factors and sarcoma, but right now, the cause isn’t clear. Physicians and scientists 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) after breast cancer surgery
- Changes (abnormalities) in certain genes (TP53, retinoblastoma, or NF1)
- Environment: exposure to harmful chemicals like herbicides, dioxin, or vinyl chloride
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, please talk with your doctor. If you’ve had cancer before, your physician will be monitoring you closely. And 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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