Bone and soft tissue sarcomas are rare conditions that affect
approximately 13,000 people each year. In the US, 10,000 are
diagnosed with soft tissue sarcomas and approximately 3,000 are
diagnosed with bone sarcomas, of which 1,000 are osteosarcomas.
The most common type of sarcoma that develops in the bone is
called an osteosarcoma while sarcomas that develop in the
connective tissue are called soft tissue sarcomas. Soft tissue
sarcomas can develop in soft tissues like fat, muscle, nerves,
fibrous tissues, blood vessels, or deep skin tissues. The rarity
of sarcomas means most doctors seldom see one, which explains
why patients are often referred to specialty hospitals where
experienced surgeons utilize limb-sparing (no amputation)
surgery whenever possible. Osteosarcomas are aggressive
malignant bone tumors and are the most common type of bone
cancer in young people. They usually occur between the ages of
10 and 25, but can occur at any age and are more common in males
than females. They encompass about 20%