Sarcomas are rare cancers, accounting for <1% of all malignancies. They originate in either bone or soft tissue.
Soft tissue sarcomas can arise in muscles and tendons, fibrous tissue, synovial tissue, fat, blood vessels, and nerves. Nearly 12,000 new cases of soft tissue sarcomas occur each year in the United States. Approximately 60% of soft tissue sarcomas arise in the extremities, with lower extremities three times more likely to be affected than upper extremities.
Several types of benign or non-cancerous bone tumors can become cancerous. The most common cancerous bone tumors are plasma cell tumors that arise from bone marrow, and osteosarcomas, chondrosarcomas and Ewing’s sarcomas, which are from the bone itself. Bone sarcomas are rarer than soft tissue sarcomas, with about 3,000 new cases in the United States each year.
Non-invasive hyperthermia uses ultrasonic heat to disrupt cell membranes and increases blood flow to the tumor, making it more vulnerable both to the body’s natural immune defenses and to other cancer therapies like radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Hyperthermia has no detrimental effect on healthy tissue, and most patients tolerate treatment well. Treatment occurs over a series of sessions, which are typically concurrent with chemotherapy or radiation therapy sessions.
