Types of soft tissue sarcoma
Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDC sarcoma) is a very rare type of sarcoma. Some of its symptoms, such as painless swollen , are like that of . Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer.
Doctors treat FDC sarcoma as a soft tissue sarcoma. FDC sarcoma develops from specialised cells in the lymph nodes. The lymph nodes are part of the , which helps to fight .
Most FDC sarcomas develop in the lymph nodes and are called nodal cancers. But about 30 out of every 100 (30%) develop elsewhere in the body such as:
head and neck area
digestive system (bowel, stomach)
spleen
liver
lungs
skin
the centre area of the chest and area between the lungs (mediastinum)
These FDC sarcomas are known as extranodal tumours, because they grow outside the lymph nodes.
As follicular dendritic cell sarcoma is very rare, standard treatment guidelines are not that clear compared to most other cancers. Your specialist will discuss this with you.
Your treatment depends on:
how big the sarcoma is, and whether it has spread to other parts of the body
how different the sarcoma cells are from normal cells and how fast they grow (grade)
your general health and fitness
You might have surgery to remove the cancer, followed by chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Last reviewed: 15 Aug 2024
Next review due: 15 Aug 2027
The type of soft tissue sarcoma you have tells you the type of cell that the cancer started in. Knowing this helps your doctor decide which treatment you need.
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There are things you can do to help you feel more in control of your health when preparing for treatment. This is called prehabilitation or prehab.
Soft tissue sarcoma cancers develop in the supporting tissues of the body. Find out about symptoms, causes, types, treatment, and more.
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