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Fibrosarcomas are a dangerous condition that can occur in nearly anyone. Essentially, they are tumors that can grow in the soft tissues of any bone in the body. And they can often become malignant and lead to cancer. Thus, fibrosarcomas are something that everyone should be worried about. And knowing what to look for is the key to recognizing the early signs.
As with any form of cancer, early identification is the most important factor when it comes to getting effective treatment. So, what exactly is a fibrosarcoma? What are the symptoms? And what can you do to treat them?
What Is A Fibrosarcoma?
Fibrosarcomas are essentially collections of cells that begin to expand rapidly. Every second, your the cells of your body die and replicate themselves millions of times. Generally, this doesn’t cause any problems. The process of replication is actually encoded in your DNA. But sometimes, that genetic code inside your DNA can mutate. As a result, your body begins to replicate mutated cells that can’t perform the functions your body needs.
This is the basic reason that someone gets a fibrosarcoma. The tissue surrounding the tumor begins to replicate these mutated cells and as a result, the tumor expands into the surrounding tissue. In the case of this particular form of tumor, it often arises inside the soft tissue inside bones.
Sometimes this kind of rapid replication can be benign, which means it doesn’t threaten your health. In these cases, the tumors are called fibromas. But when the tumor becomes malignant, it can be very dangerous.
The key when it comes to any form of cancer is early detection. Cancers go through four basic stages. And with each stage, your odds of recovering drop dramatically. So, if you can catch cancer in the first stage, you have a much better chance at recovering.
But to do so, you need to be aware of some of the early symptoms.
What Are The Symptoms?
Because these tumors grow inside the bones, they can often be very difficult to detect. And unlike a tumor in the case of say, breast cancer, you won’t be able to feel the tumor through the skin.
And further complicating the issue is the fact that sarcomas grow very quickly. And a patient suffering from one may only have around six months of noticeable symptoms before the tumor has progressed to a dangerous state.
But the most common symptom is a deep feeling of pain inside your bone. Often, patients assume that they must be suffering from arthritis, an injury, or some other form of joint pain. And this can make it more difficult for a doctor to properly diagnose the underlying issue.
In many types of cancer, there are obvious symptoms like chronic fatigue and weight loss. But this is less common in cases of sarcoma.
Instead, you may notice aching in the bone that gets more painful when you put weight on it. And for many people, the tumor gradually weakens the bone, which can eventually lead to fractures. In fact, many people are first diagnosed after a fracture when the x-ray reveals the tumor.
It’s important when you feel any sort of chronic pain that you see a doctor. It’s something that you always want to take seriously as chronic pain can often be the first sign of a dangerous condition like fibrosarcoma.
But, once you do get a diagnosis, you can begin the next phase: treatment.
How Can You Treat It?
There are a few things that doctors usually use to treat sarcomas. The first step is usually to remove the tumor surgically. Thanks to recent advances in medicine, it is often relatively simple to remove small tumors by drilling into the bone and cutting away the tumor from the soft tissue.
But if the tumor is too advanced, you may have to rely on chemotherapy. Essentially, chemicals are injected into the tissue that kills off the cancerous cells. This helps shrink the tumor and may force it to stop growing, at which point it is said to be in “remission.”
This is the same basic idea behind another treatment, radiation therapy, which uses target doses of radiation to accomplish the same goal.
With appropriate treatment delivered soon enough, the outlook for people with fibrosarcomas is often good. But just remember to get treatment as soon as you notice symptoms.
So, have you had a fibrosarcoma? How did you treat it? How did you notice the first signs? Let us know in the comments.
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