Soft tissue sarcomas: Teenagers and young adults

This section is for teenagers and young adults. It’s about a type of cancer called soft tissue sarcoma.

There are several different types of soft tissue sarcoma. The information in this section covers rhabdomyosarcomas, synovial sarcomas, soft tissue Ewing’s sarcoma and fibrosarcomas. These are the most common types in teenagers. If you have a different type and want to know more, contact Macmillan.

If you’re looking for information about soft tissue sarcomas in people of all ages, read our general soft tissue sarcoma section.

Soft tissue sarcomas are cancers that develop from cells in the soft, supporting tissues of the body. There are many different types, but the ones that tend to affect teenagers are:

rhabdomyosarcomas synovial sarcomas soft tissue Ewing’s sarcoma fibrosarcomas

Sarcomas can also develop in the bones. This is called osteosarcoma. 

Symptoms

The symptoms of a sarcoma will depend on where it is:

if it’s in an arm or leg, symptoms include a lump or swelling in the limb – this is usually painless, but not always if it’s in the tummy (abdomen), symptoms include a painful, swollen tummy, and problems going to the toilet to poo (called constipation) if it’s in your bladder, symptoms include pain in the lower tummy, finding it difficult to pee (pass urine), and having blood in your pee if it’s in the chest, symptoms can include breathlessness, a cough and pain in your chest if it’s in the head or neck, symptoms include a lump, a blockage and discharge from the nose or throat; occasionally an eye may become swollen and stick out a bit

You may also have other symptoms, such as tiredness, loss of appetite or weight loss.

Remember – most people with these symptoms won’t have a sarcoma.  But if you have any of these symptoms, or are worried that you may have a sarcoma, the first thing to do is to speak to your GP. They’ll examine you and refer you to a hospital if they think you need to see a specialist doctor.