The soft tissues of your body surround, connect and support other body structures and organs of your body. These soft tissues include blood vessels, synovial tissues (the lining of your joints), tendons, fat, nerves and muscle.
Soft tissue sarcoma is a type of cancer that starts in your soft tissue. Some of the tumors that form in your soft tissues are not malignant (cancer). Tumors that are not cancer are referred to as benign. The tumors that are malignant are cancer. There are around 50 different types of soft tissue sarcomas.
Even though there are many different kinds of soft tissue sarcomas, they usually have the same characteristics. They usually have signs and symptoms that are similar, and they are usually treated in similar ways.
Fortunately, soft tissue sarcoma is rare. Somewhere around 10,000 cases of this disease are diagnosed in the United States each year. This means that they account for less than 1% of all new cancer cases that are diagnosed each year in the United States.
Soft tissue sarcoma can originate almost anywhere in your body. Around 60% develop in your legs, arms, feet and hands. 20% originate in your abdomen and chest and 15% in your neck and head area.
Soft tissue sarcoma is caused by mutations (defects) that occur in the cells in your soft tissue. However, in most cases no one knows what causes these mutations to occur.
One of the cases of soft tissue sarcoma where the cause is known is Kaposis sarcoma. This soft tissue sarcoma develops in people who have a defective immune system. The cause is a virus that is referred to as human herpes virus 8 (HHV8).
As with many other forms of cancer, soft tissue sarcoma does not usually cause any signs or symptoms in the early stages of the disease. When signs and symptoms do occur, you may experience:
A noticeable swelling or lump
Excessive sweating
Swelling
Unintentional weight loss
Fatigue
Fever
Pain, if the sarcoma presses on your muscles or nerves
Gastrointestinal bleeding
A blockage in your intestines or stomach.
You or your loved one may have been diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma. This disease and/or complications resulting from it may be the cause of your disability and need of financial assistance.
Are you or your loved one intending to apply for financial help from the Social Security Administration by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits because of the disability caused by soft tissue sarcoma and/or complications resulting from this disease? Have you or your loved one done this already and been denied?
If you plan on appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration, always remember. People who have a disability lawyer like the one you will find at disabilitycasereview.com are approved more often than people who are not represented by a disability attorney.