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Synovial sarcoma is a rare cancer that most often strikes people in the prime of their lives, and early diagnosis can make a critical difference in survival.
Pediatric hematologist-oncologist Dr. Janet Yoon said synovial sarcoma falls under a larger category called soft tissue sarcoma and typically affects patients between the ages of 15 and 39.
"Synovial sarcoma is a very rare cancer that falls under a larger category called soft tissue sarcoma. It tends to affect patients in the adolescent young adult age groups, typically ages 15 to 39 years of age. It can often present as pain and may be associated with a lump, usually in the arms or the legs."
Yoon said the prognosis for patients diagnosed with advanced disease is particularly grim.
"The earlier it's diagnosed, the more responsive it is to our treatment. Unfortunately for those patients who have metastatic disease at the time they're diagnosed, and that's typically to the lungs. Five-year survival is only about 20%. And as I mentioned previously, this tumor tends to affect patients in the prime of their lives like Lindsey, which makes it particularly devastating."
US veteran Lindsiy said persistent pain in her inner left thigh during military service was what ultimately led her to seek specialized care.
"What led me to seek specialized care was pain in my inner left thigh. At the time, I was serving in the United States military, and there were several occasions where we go on runs and I experienced pain in my inner left thigh."
Lindsiy said the pain worsened over time and began interfering with daily physical activity.
"That pain gradually got worse and will present itself again during my daily activities. For example, when I was doing squats, I would have pain in my inner left thigh. I noticed that my left leg wouldn't go all the way down opposed to my right leg, and that set off a red flag during lunges as well. My left leg wouldn't go all the way down compared to my right leg, and when I forced the movement, there was a sharp, sharp, stinging pain in my leg."
"That's what really set off a red flag. I want to go get seen. And I wish I would have been seen quicker."
Yoon said biomarker testing plays an important role early in the diagnosis journey and urged patients to seek care at specialized centers.
"As we're learning more about cancers, we're realizing that certain cancer types, such as synovial sarcoma express these biomarkers that can drive treatment options. And we urge patients to seek care early on at sarcoma specialized centers like ours at City of Hope National Medical Center in California. And the earlier the testing, the more treatment outcomes patients may have."
Patients can visit sarcomabiomarkertesting.com for more information.
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