Symptoms and diagnosis of sarcomas

Sarcomas are rare, complex and heterogeneous at the same time. In total, they represent a hundred different cancers in adults and approximately thirty in children. It is therefore difficult for a non-specialist doctor to make the correct diagnosis in these conditions.

Specifically, a soft-tissue sarcoma presents as a "lump" or edema. Before it gets bigger, the sarcoma may not be felt. Subsequently, it can hinder movement, while generally being painless, except if it compresses an organ or a nerve.

A sarcoma in the chest area can cause breathing difficulties, even coughing. If it is adjacent to the abdomen, it can cause an increase in abdominal volume. These tumors are sometimes felt as a lump or discomfort in the abdomen and are accompanied by digestive disorders and bleeding.

A bone sarcoma manifests itself as a persistent hematoma , a persistent or an increasingly large "bump" on the surface of a bone. In addition to this, there is also unexplained bone pain without precursor trauma, which increases over time and which resists conventional painkillers. It can also cause an unexplained fracture.

Institut Curie, an expert center for the management of sarcomas

Since Institut Curie is a dedicated expert center of the NETSARC+ network, it employs specialists in the diagnosis and monitoring of sarcomas, which provides for better therapeutic management. As soon as sarcoma is suspected, and before any therapeutic procedure, it is essential to refer patients to one of these expert centers. The sooner the disease is diagnosed, the better it is managed and the better the chances of survival. An analysis of NETSARC+ results after 10 years shows that this recommendation is well-founded, with an increase in patient survival.

Institut Curie offers a complete technical platform with a dedicated diagnostic pathway (CUSTOM), which facilitates the management of patients and a specialized surgical consultation. This pathway is based on a medical imaging consultation combining clinical examination, analysis of radiological examinations, and biopsy if necessary, leading to anatomopathological and molecular biology analysis. A recent study² from Institut Curie showed that a percutaneous biopsy of retroperitoneal tumors prior to any treatment made it possible to clarify the diagnosis in 98% of cases and to adapt the therapeutic strategy accordingly. All of this information is discussed at a multidisciplinary consultation meeting "Sarcoma" at Institut Curie. The patient thus obtains the correct diagnosis and is already on the right path to benefit from an adapted therapeutic strategy.

² Walter Nardi et al., Diagnostic accuracy and safety of percutaneous core needle biopsy of retroperitoneal tumours, European Journal of Surgical Oncology (2023).