Words to know: Sarcoma
- Amputation
- Surgery to remove all or part of an arm or leg.
- Biopsy
- Removing a small piece of tissue to check for cancer under a microscope.
- Bone sarcoma
- A sarcoma that starts in bone, such as osteosarcoma or Ewing sarcoma.
- Chemotherapy
- Medicines that kill fast-growing cells, like cancer cells.
- Connective tissue
- Tissue that supports and connects the body, like fat, muscle, bone, and cartilage.
- Desmoid tumor
- A tumor that grows into nearby tissue but does not spread to other organs.
- Fusion gene
- Two genes that break and join together. Many sarcomas have one.
- GIST
- Gastrointestinal stromal tumor. A sarcoma that starts in the wall of the stomach or bowel.
- Grade
- How abnormal the cells look and how fast the tumor is likely to grow.
- Imatinib
- A targeted pill that is the main treatment for most GISTs.
- Limb-sparing surgery
- Surgery that removes the tumor but saves the arm or leg.
- Margin
- The rim of healthy tissue removed around a tumor. A clear margin means no cancer at the edge.
- Metastatic
- Cancer that has spread from where it started to other parts of the body.
- Orthopedic oncologist
- A surgeon who treats tumors of the bones and soft tissues of the arms and legs.
- Pathologist
- A doctor who looks at tissue under a microscope to make a diagnosis.
- Prosthesis
- An artificial body part, such as a leg or joint.
- Radiation therapy
- Treatment that uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells.
- Retroperitoneum
- The space at the back of the belly, behind the organs.
- Sarcoma center
- A hospital with a team of experts who treat many people with sarcoma.
- Soft tissue sarcoma
- A sarcoma that starts in soft tissues like fat, muscle, nerves, or blood vessels.
- Stage
- A way to describe how big the cancer is and how far it has spread.
- Targeted therapy
- Medicine that blocks a specific gene change or protein in cancer cells.
- Palliative care
- Care that eases symptoms and improves quality of life at any stage of illness.
- Clinical trial
- A research study that tests new treatments in people.
Last updated: 2026-10-27. Medically reviewed by Veli Bakalov, MD, medical oncologist (October 2026). General education from Step by Step, the patient portal of HemeOncBuddy.