Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

sarcoma, Kaposi
See 
Kaposi sarcoma.
sarcoma, osteogenic
See 
osteosarcoma.
sarcoma, soft-tissue
A sarcoma that begins in
the muscle, fat, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, or
other supporting tissue of the body. See also 
sar-
coma.
sarcoma, synovial
A malignant tumor of soft tis-
sue that arises near, but not in, a joint. Synovial sar-
comas most often occur in adolescents or young
adults, are typically slow-growing, and may escape
notice until they become painful. They occur mainly
in the arms and legs, near large joints, especially the
knees. Although the tumor is called synovial sar-
coma, it has never been shown to arise from syn-
ovial cells (the cells that line a joint), and the cell of
origin is not known. The diagnosis of synovial sar-
coma can be suspected via X-ray or imaging, made
via biopsy, and confirmed via cytogenetic studies
that show a translocation (an exchange of material)
between the X chromosome and chromosome 18 in
the tumor cells. The key treatment is surgery to
remove the entire tumor, nearby muscle, and lymph
nodes. Radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination
of treatment methods may follow surgery. The tumor
tends to recur locally and to involve local lymph
nodes. Distant spread (metastasis) occurs in half of
cases, sometimes many years after the initial diag-
nosis. Also known as synoviosarcoma.
sarcoma botryoides
A malignancy of the cervix,
vagina, or bladder in infants and young children that
arises from embryonal rhabdomyoblasts (ancestral
muscle cells). The tumor resembles a bunch of
grapes. It has a generally good prognosis. Treat-
ment includes conservative surgery followed by
chemotherapy. Also known as embryonal rhab-
domyosarcoma. See also 
rhabdomyosarcoma; sar-
coma; sarcoma, soft-tissue.