An Expert Approach

Northwestern Medicine is anchored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital, which is nationally ranked for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report, 2024 – 2025.

We offer opportunities to participate in innovative clinical trials. That means you could have access to tomorrow’s breakthrough treatments today, delivered by our world-class team.

The program also offers leading-edge diagnostic technology, so you and your care team can plan the most effective treatment possible.

Soft tissue sarcoma is a type of cancer that starts in supportive tissue that holds your body together, known as the soft tissues. Examples include your muscles, fat, fibrous tissue, nerves and blood vessels.

Soft tissue sarcomas can start in soft tissue anywhere in your body. There are more than 50 types of unique soft tissue sarcomas.

The most common soft tissue sarcomas in adults are:

• Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (sometimes called malignant fibrous histiocytoma) – Most common in legs and arms
• Liposarcoma – Starts in your fat cells and most common in legs, arms and abdomens
• Leiomyosarcoma – Starts in the involuntary muscles (smooth muscles), such as in the urinary system, digestive system, uterus and blood vessels
• Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) – a type of sarcoma that starts in the digestive track

Bone Sarcomas

Cancer that starts in a bone is called a bone sarcoma. There are many different types of bone sarcomas, and they can happen in any of the bones of the body. The type of sarcoma depends on which bone it started in, how it looks on radiological images and what the tissue looks like under a microscope.

These are a few types of bone sarcomas:

• Osteosarcoma – The most common primary bone cancer
• Chondrosarcoma – Cancer of the cartilage cell, the second most common form of primary bone cancer
• Ewing sarcoma – Third most common adult primary bone cancer, and second most common form in children and young adults
• Chordoma – Slow-growing, primary bone tumor occurring at the skull base and bones of the spine