Liposarcoma is a type of soft tissue sarcoma. This type of cancer affects the fat cells in your body and it occurs when the fat cells start multiplying rapidly. It generally originates from the fat cells in deep soft tissue as opposed to the superficial layer of fat cells directly beneath your skin or mucous membrane.
What Is The Prognosis Of Liposarcoma?
The prognosis of liposarcoma is dependent on a number of factors. The earlier the tumor is detected, the smaller the size of the tumor, the location of the tumor and whether the tumor is surgically operable impacts the success of the treatment.
In many cases, the liposarcomas get confused with lipomas, which is a not a serious medical condition and the patient may not consult their physician in time. In such cases, the cancer is usually only detected once it is advanced and becomes symptomatic.
Patients who are diagnosed early at Stage 1 or Stage 2 have a better shot at achieving remission as compared to the more serious and advanced Stage 4 of the disease. Patients who undergo treatment early in the disease cycle have a lower impact on their quality of life as in most cases the tumor can be removed from the body without an needing an amputation. Patients who have progressed to Stage 3 to 4 have a poor prognosis wand their survival rate is about 50% over five years.
Tumors which are located in extremities such as your limbs are easy to surgically remove and have a better prognosis as compared to tumor located in the deep tissues and near organs such as your lungs, which are not as easy to operate and need to rely on other therapies like radiation, chemotherapy and systemic therapies for treatment. This is because the success rate or the probability of achieving remission is not as high in these alternative therapies.
What Are The Causes And Risk Factor For Developing A Liposarcoma?
Liposarcomas can develop any place in the body, but are typically found in the limbs and the abdominal region. This is a rare type of cancer and cause of developing it is still unknown. Exposure to certain toxic chemicals like dioxin, a family history of cancer, exposure to radiation therapy during treatment for another cancer, or damage to your lymphatic system may increase the risk of you developing this type of cancer.
A liposarcoma generally manifests as a hard lump that is visible beneath your skin. These are most often detected after the patient sustains a trauma or injury. However, trauma or injuries are not generally considered a risk factor for developing liposarcoma.
What Are Some Of The Treatment Options For Liposarcomas?
The most common treatment option for liposarcoma is to surgically remove the entire tumor. This has a higher success rate in of preventing a recurrence of the tumor. Your physician may also put you on chemotherapy after your surgery to ensure there is no recurrence of the tumor and you stay in remission. In some cases you may be put on radiation therapy before your surgery to shrink the size your tumor. This is done to spare the vital organs near the tumor. But there is time when the tumor is just too close to a vital organ like the lungs or the liver. In such cases liposarcoma surgery is no longer a viable option and the patient will have to be treated with a combination of radiation and chemotherapy.
Is There A Way To Prevent Liposarcoma From Developing In Your Body?
There are no steps you can take to prevent developing liposarcoma cancer as it has been reported to occur in patients who have no known risk factors. The only preventive action that can possibly be taken would be to try to avoid the risk factors mentioned.
Also Read:
