A sarcoma is a rare form of cancer that usually grows in the connective tissues. There are different types of sarcomas, and it is important to know about them. Read on to the three common types of sarcoma.

1. Sarcoma and its types
A sarcoma is a form of cancer that affects the connective tissues in the body. This form of cancer is seen in deep skin tissues, tendons, cartilages, ligaments, blood vessels, and fat. It is a rare form of cancer that is seen only in 1% of cases. Most sarcomas start in the limbs. There are more than 50 different types of sarcomas. They can be grouped under two categories: soft tissue sarcoma and bone sarcoma.

2. Types of soft tissue sarcoma
Soft tissue sarcomas can grow anywhere in the body. It usually starts off as a painless lump. The symptoms of this type of sarcoma depend on the area where it grows. Some of the different types of soft tissue sarcoma are listed below.

• Liposarcoma: It affects fat tissues and can start in the thigh region or back of the abdomen.
• Synovial sarcoma: It develops in the stem cells around the joints.
• Fibrosarcoma: It occurs in the fibroblasts, which are connective tissue cells.
• Kaposi’s sarcoma: It usually occurs on the skin and is caused by the herpes virus B.
• Neurofibrosarcoma: This cancer grows in the lining that protects the nerves.
• Vascular sarcoma: It grows in the blood vessels and has the following types.

Angiosarcoma: It affects the lymph vessels or blood vessels. It is commonly found in the liver, spleen, breasts, and skin tissues.

Hemangioendothelioma: It is found in the blood vessels located in the lungs, head, neck, intestines, stomach, and lymph nodes.

• Gastrointestinal stromal tumor: This sarcoma is found in the neuromuscular cells of the gut.
• Leiomyosarcoma: It grows in the organ walls within the smooth muscles (usually in the abdomen).
• Leiomyoma: This sarcoma in the smooth muscles leads to uterine fibroids.
• Rhabdomyosarcoma: It occurs in the skeletal muscles.
• Mesenchymoma: This very rare sarcoma has elements of other sarcomas and can occur anywhere in the body.
• Schwannoma: It occurs in the tissues covering the nerves.

3. Bone sarcoma
Bone sarcoma is a form of bone cancer that originates in the bones. It usually occurs in the bones of the arms, legs, or pelvis. It is very difficult to spot this cancer, and its first symptom can be pain. The different types of bone sarcomas are listed below.

• Osteosarcoma: This is cancer growing in the bone.
• Ewing sarcoma: Here, cancer may start in the bone or the soft tissue.
• Chondrosarcoma: It starts in the cartilages.
• Fibrosarcoma: Cancer originates in the fibrogenic tissues in the bone.

Now that you know about the common types of sarcoma, undergo physical examinations to diagnose it at the earliest.