Myxofibrosarcoma refers to a specific type of cancer appears as a painless and slow growing lump one of the arms or legs. The disease mainly takes place in individuals between 50 years and 70 years age, while it is relatively more common in men as compared to women. According to medical experts, Myxofibrosarcoma categorizes as a soft tissue sarcoma and hence, similar to any other type of soft tissue sarcoma, the cancer takes place in connective tissues.
Especially, Myxofibrosarcoma takes place in the connective tissue, which surrounds as well as separates muscles from one another and the skin. In most of the cases, Myxofibrosarcoma remains present deep in the muscle tissue or just beneath the skin.
Can Myxofibrosarcoma Go Away on its Own?
Now, the question that strikes in our mind is that whether the problem of Myxofibrosarcoma goes away on its own automatically. For this, medical research analysts have said that it is impossible to cure Myxofibrosarcoma without surgical treatment. However, recommendations related to additional treatment procedures depend on different factors, as we have discussed in this article.
Treatment As Per The Characteristics Of The Tumor
Treatment procedure (including surgery) depends solely on the specific characteristics of the tumor. These include-
Depth Of The Tumor. Tumor/tumors formed between the muscles’ layers often tend to act in an aggressive way.
Size Of The Tumor. Tumors in the size of 5cm or more in length, width and depth requires relatively extensive form of surgery with additional treatment in some cases, like chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Grade Of The Tumor. Tumors formed in the case of Myxofibrosarcoma are of three different types, which include the following-
- Low-grade tumors consisting of inactive cells without the accumulation of any dead cell
- Intermediate tumors containing relatively higher proportion of active and dividing cells
- High-grade tumors consisting of dividing cells in large numbers in combination with dead cells(1)
Accordingly, tumors of low-grade are of less aggressive as compared to high-grade and intermediate tumors.
Myxofibrosarcoma cancer always requires surgical procedure to remove the cancer and a small amount of the surrounding healthy tissue. However, the extent of surgical procedure in this case varies largely in accordance to the size of any formed tumor and related characteristics.
Treatment Options As Per Position And Grade Of The Tumor
Small And Low Grade With Superficial Tumors
If the tumor formed does not remain present next to any bone joint, a network consisting of blood vessels or any other similar type of critical structure, surgery alone is enough to remove the small Myxofibrosarcoma present just beneath the skin.
High Grade And Intermediate Tumors
If the tumor has aggressive characteristics, doctors recommend for pre-surgical radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy to identify the borders of the formed tumor and in turn, give a better change of its removal with a margin of surrounding healthy tissue. Alternatively, doctors recommend for radiation therapy after the surgery with the aim to destroy cancer cells, which fail to remove via surgical procedure.(1)
Myxofibrosarcoma Symptoms And Diagnosis
Initial growth in case of Myxofibrosarcoma highlights only a specific part of any underlying tumor, which spreads in an extensive way across the base of the tumor growth and down within the deep tissue. Because of this, doctors fail or often find difficult to assess the actual extent of the cancer even by using advanced imaging technique.
In most of the cases, Myxofibrosarcoma patients experience the following major symptoms-
- Lumps in the size of a golf ball or even large
- Lumps becoming large with time
- Presence of tumor deep within the muscle instead of its presence below the skin
Considering the aforementioned facts, doctors recommend for the following tests to assess any suspicious appearing lump and thereby, identifying the problem of Myxofibrosarcoma.
Once any or both of the aforementioned tests identify any type of soft tissue sarcoma, like for instance the Myxofibrosarcoma, doctors recommend for a chest X-ray to determine the metastasize or spread of the cancer to lungs i.e. the most likely site associated with the metastasis of Myxofibrosarcoma.(1)
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