What are the treatment options for sarcoma?

The type of treatment needed depends on the type of sarcoma, tumour location, growth rate, whether it has spread to other parts of the body and the patient's age and general health.

The main types of treatment include:

Surgery: Most treatments will involve a plan for surgery to remove the tumour along with a margin of healthy tissue to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Radiotherapy: Uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells while minimising damage to healthy cells.

Chemotherapy: Uses medications to kill or slow the growth of rapidly multiplying cancer cells. It may be given before surgery to shrink the tumour or after surgery, or alongside radiation.

Targeted therapy: Uses medications to attack specific chemicals within the cancer cells, causing them to die without harming healthy cells in the process.

Immunotherapy: Uses medications to boost the immune system's ability to locate and kill the cancer cells.

These treatments may be used alone or in combination, depending on individual circumstances.