What should you know about bone and soft tissue cancer?

They include different subtypes, and the exact diagnosis matters because behaviour and treatment can vary. Cancer that starts elsewhere and spreads to bone is a metastasis, not primary bone cancer.

A bone tumour can present with persistent pain, swelling or reduced movement near the affected area. A soft tissue tumour may appear as a lump that grows, sits deep in the body or becomes painful by pressing on nearby structures. These features also occur for non-cancerous reasons. Imaging shows the lesion's position and relationship to surrounding tissue, while a carefully planned biopsy identifies its type.

Arrange a medical assessment for a persistent unexplained bone pain or a lump that is enlarging, deep or otherwise concerning. If a sarcoma is suspected, biopsy planning by the specialist team is useful because the needle path and incision can affect later surgery. Treatment may involve tumour removal surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination chosen for the subtype, location and stage.

Seek urgent help if pain suddenly becomes severe, a limb looks deformed or you cannot put weight through it, as a weakened bone may have fractured. Rapidly increasing swelling, new weakness or numbness, or a lump that affects breathing or swallowing also needs prompt assessment. During treatment, fever with feeling very unwell should be reported immediately using the oncology team's emergency instructions.

Ask for the precise tumour type, grade, stage and anatomical site, and whether the diagnosis has been reviewed by a sarcoma specialist. Discuss whether surgery can preserve limb function, what reconstruction or rehabilitation might involve and how radiotherapy or chemotherapy fits around an operation. Clarify which activities are safe if the tumour has weakened a bone.