sarcoma
n. countablen. a type of cancer that starts in the bones or the soft tissues of the body, like muscles or fat. It is less common than other types of cancer.
n. a malignant tumor that originates in the connective or supportive tissues of the body, such as bone, cartilage, fat, or muscle. Often used in medical contexts to distinguish from carcinomas, which arise from epithelial cells.
The doctor ordered a biopsy to check if the lump was a sarcoma.
After the initial diagnosis, the patient underwent a series of scans to determine if the sarcoma had spread to other parts of the body.
While relatively rare compared to other solid tumors, sarcomas are particularly challenging to treat because they often occur in deep tissues where surgical margins are difficult to achieve without damaging vital organs.
From Latin sarcoma, from Ancient Greek σάρκωμα (sárkōma), from σάρξ (sárx, “flesh”) + -ωμα (-ōma, “process”) or from Ancient Greek σαρκόω (sarkóō), itself from σάρξ (sárx); by surface analysis, sarc- + -oma.