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Introduction
A synovial sarcoma is one of the rarer types of soft-tissue sarcomas. It is usually found in either the legs or the arms. It usually starts near a major joint in the limb, but, more rarely, it can occur in the neck or torso. It affects more older adolescents and young adults than other age groups, and slightly more women than men.
Causes
Over 99% of synovial sarcoma cases contain the SYT-SSX fusion gene, the result of a translocation event between chromosomes 18 and X. The diagnosis of synovial sarcoma is usually confirmed by the presence of this genetic trait in a biopsy sample. While the SYT-SSX fusion protein is believed to be the cause of synovial sarcoma, it has not been proven to be tumorigenic in human cell lines.
Symptoms
Since this is a relatively rare type of cancer, large studies haven't been conducted, but, from the number of cases reported, there is usually a swelling around the affected area, and often there is pain or discomfort (however, some patients can have no pain or discomfort at all). The diagnosis of a synovial sarcoma is by biopsy.
Treatment
Treatment usually involves:
- Medical surgery, to remove the cancer and a margin of healthy tissue.
- Chemotherapy, (for example, Doxorubicin hydrochloride and Ifosfamide), to reduce the number of remaining microscopic cancer cells.
- Radiotherapy to reduce the chances of local recurrence.
Scans to undertaken before, during, and after treatment
Various scanning techniques can be used to further localise and identify this cancer:During treatment, the patient may have Bone Density Scans, to measure the impact of the chemotherapy on the skeleton.
See also
"Synovial sarcoma"