RESUMO
Musculoskeletal sarcomas are rare diseases that require attention. They often present high degree of malignancy at diagnosis and, if underestimated, they can evolve aggressively locally and systemically. They present as soft tissue sarcoma and bone sarcomas, with soft tissue being four to five times more common. Most soft tissue sarcomas occur in the extremities. The most common subtypes in children and adolescents are rhabdomyosarcoma and synovial sarcoma; in adults, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, myxofibrosarcoma and synovial sarcoma; all with a high degree of histological malignancy. Many soft tissue sarcomas are confused with benign soft tissue tumors, 100 times more common, so they are resected without the necessary planning, resulting in amputation of a limb that could have been preserved. As in all cancers, the most important prognostic factor is metastatic disease. When it is present, the overall survival rate falls around 20 to 30%. Survival rates are generally similar between bone and soft tissue sarcomas. So soft tissue sarcomas, in addition to being more prevalent, are as aggressive as bone sarcomas, deserving a lot of attention from orthopedic surgeons, who are often the first line of care of carriers of these tumors.
RESUMO
Abstract Musculoskeletal sarcomas are rare diseases that require attention. They often present high degree of malignancy at diagnosis and, if underestimated, they can evolve aggressively locally and systemically. They present as soft tissues arcoma and bone sarcomas, with soft tissue being four to five times more common. Most soft tissue sarcomas occur in the extremities. The most common subtypes in children and adolescents are rhabdomyosarcoma and synovial sarcoma; in adults, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, myxofibrosarcoma and synovial sarcoma; all with a high degree of histological malignancy. Many soft tissue sarcomas are confused with benign soft tissue tumors, 100 times more common, so they are resected without the necessary planning, resulting in amputation of a limb that could have been preserved. As in all cancers, the most important prognostic factor is metastatic disease. When it is present, the overall survival rate falls around 20 to 30%. Survival rates are generally similar between bone and soft tissue sarcomas. So soft tissue sarcomas, in addition to being more prevalent, are as aggressive as bones arcomas, deserving a lot of attention from orthopedic surgeons, who are often the first line of care of carriers of these tumors.
Resumo Os sarcomas musculoesqueléticos são doenças raras que exigem atenção. Frequentemente, apresentam alto grau de malignidade ao diagnóstico e se subestimados podem evoluir de forma agressiva local e sistemicamente. Apresentam-se como sarcoma de partes moles e sarcomas ósseos, sendo os de partes moles quatro a cinco vezes mais comuns. A maioria dos sarcomas de partes moles ocorre nos membros. Os subtipos mais comuns nas crianças e adolescentes são o rabdomiossarcoma e o sarcoma sinovial, nos adultos o sarcoma pleomórfico indiferenciado, lipossarcoma, leiomiossarcoma, mixofibrossarcoma e sarcoma sinovial; todos de alto grau de malignidade histológica. Muitos sarcomas de partes moles são confundidos com tumores benignos de partes moles, 100 vezes mais comuns, por isso são ressecados sem o planejamento necessário, acarretando em amputação de um membro que poderia ter sido preservado. Como em todos os cânceres, o fator prognóstico mais importante é a doença metastática. Na sua vigência, a taxa de sobrevida global cai em torno de 20 a 30%. As taxas de sobrevida no geral são parecidas entre os sarcomas ósseos e de partes moles, portanto o sarcoma de partes moles, além de mais prevalente, mostra-se tão agressivo quanto os sarcomas ósseos, por isso merece muita atenção dos ortopedistas que frequentemente são a primeira linha de atendimento dos portadores destes tumores.
