If you or a loved one is facing a rare cancer diagnosis like myxofibrosarcoma, you want a team of experts to help make sense of the diagnosis and treatment options available for it. At the OSUCCC – James, our experts make up central Ohio’s only Sarcoma Clinic, with a full-time dedicated staff of specialists who spend every day studying these complex and rare cancers.
What is myxofibrosarcoma?
Myxofibrosarcoma is a rare soft tissue cancer that mainly affects the extremities, such as arms or legs. It is a soft tissue sarcoma. This cancer starts in the soft connective tissues of the body, which would be in your muscle, fat or tendons.
Myxofibrosarcoma accounts for less than 5% of all soft tissue sarcomas, which are already rare among all cancer diagnoses.
This cancer tends to affect elderly adults and has a high rate of recurrence. Myxofibrosarcoma tends to spread to other parts of the body faster when compared to other sarcomas.
What causes myxofibrosarcoma?
At this time, the exact cause of myxofibrosarcoma is unknown.
Soft tissue sarcomas occur when cancerous cells grow and invade surrounding healthy tissue. Healthy cells usually replicate at a normal rate and generate additional healthy cells.
Cells contain instructions called DNA to help this process. Over time, the DNA in our cells can change. When this happens, cells receive “bad” instructions. Those bad instructions can cause cells to grow and reproduce abnormally. In the case of myxofibrosarcoma, a tumor can result depending on the location where these cells grow out of control.
MFS risk factors
There are some risk factors that can increase the likelihood that you may develop myxofibrosarcoma. Risk factors can influence whether or not you get cancer or any other condition. There are some things you can influence and some you can’t when it comes to cancers like myxofibrosarcoma.
The biggest risk factors for myxofibrosarcoma include age and sex. Adults aged 50 and older are more likely to develop the disease. Males assigned at birth tend to have myxofibrosarcoma more often than females.
In some cases, research has indicated that previous exposure to radiation therapy may increase your risk of developing myxofibrosarcoma. However, research is ongoing to determine the direct relationship.
Myxofibrosarcoma symptoms
Some of the most common myxofibrosarcoma symptoms may include:
- Lump or bump that grows under the skin
- Unexplained swelling or pain near the site of the bump or lump
It’s important to note that these symptoms may also have other causes. Talk to your doctor if you notice anything unusual or have symptoms that don’t go away.
How is MFS diagnosed?
If your doctor thinks you have myxofibrosarcoma, they’ll order some imaging tests and/or a biopsy to determine the exact cause of your symptoms. Using a multidisciplinary approach, experts at the OSUCCC – James will start with a physical exam and will take your health history.
After a physical exam to check for myxofibrosarcoma, some of the imaging tests your doctors may order include:
- Computed tomography (CT) scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
- Chest X-ray (for cases in which the cancer is suspected to have spread)
Additionally, a biopsy may be ordered to take a tissue sample of the suspected tumor. An expert pathologist from the OSUCCC – James will examine the tissue sample and classify it accordingly. If it’s suspected that you may have myxofibrosarcoma, your team of doctors will create a treatment plan customized for your needs.
Myxofibrosarcoma treatment
If a myxofibrosarcoma diagnosis is confirmed, the multidisciplinary team of OSUCCC – James experts will determine the exact treatment and/or combination of treatments for you.
Surgery is the preferred treatment for myxofibrosarcoma. However, it’s not the first treatment you may receive if you are diagnosed. Many may receive radiation before surgery and in some cases, others may receive chemotherapy. This is called neoadjuvant therapy. This helps reduce the tumor’s size before surgery to help ensure the best possible treatment outcomes after surgery.
For cases of myxofibrosarcoma, it’s not uncommon to perform surgery in stages and delay reconstruction to ensure that the cancerous cells have been completely removed and enough healthy tissue remains. If there is concern that the tumor will be difficult to completely remove, a resection may be done in one surgery with a second surgical stage to be completed after it’s been determined safe and effective to do so.
After surgery, your doctors may recommend radiation therapy to reduce the likelihood of the cancer reoccuring. Chemotherapy may be used in cases where the cancer has spread (metastasized).
Decisions regarding which treatments to pursue (and timing of those treatments) are made by a multidisciplinary team. Chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapies may be considered as additional treatments based on your unique needs. Clinical trials may also be appropriate for you as well, but will be determined by your doctors.
If you have received a myxofibrosarcoma diagnosis, or if you want a second opinion or just want to speak to a sarcoma specialist, we are here to help you. Call 800-293-5066 or 614-293-5066 to make an appointment.
Additional Resources
Types of Sarcoma
Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Prevention
Screening and Diagnosis
Clinical Trials