The aim of surgery is to remove the tumour completely if possible. This usually involves an operation called a 'wide local excision', which means removing the cancer with a border (margin) of healthy cancer-free tissue all around it. The border is removed to try to stop the cancer coming back in that area.
The surgery you have will depend on the type of sarcoma and where exactly in your body it is. Many sarcomas occur in the arm or leg, but they can grow anywhere. Your specialist will talk things through with you in detail and make sure that you fully understand what's involved. If you want to know more about what happens when you go in for an operation, there is lots more information in the general surgery section.
tumours affecting a limb There have been a lot of improvements in surgery over the last few years. It used to be that most people with soft tissue tumours had to have their limb removed, but now it's often possible to remove only part of the limb that is affected, without removing the whole arm or leg. This is known as limb-sparing surgery.
Sometimes doctors still advise that the whole limb should be removed - this is only ever done if there is no alternative and if it's the only way to get rid of all the cancer cells. This is called amputation.
tumours affecting the chest or abdomen The surgery you'll need to have will depend on the size and position of the tumour and whether it is affecting any of your organs in the area.
tumours affecting the head and neck area The surgery you'll need to have will depend on the size and position of the tumour.
If you want to know more about having surgery and its effects, there is lots more information in the surgery section.
