Why Choose Us for Organ-Based Sarcoma Treatment
At Huntsman Cancer Institute, you receive comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for organ-based sarcomas. Our Sarcoma Care Team provides personalized and compassionate care at every step, from evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment to long-term follow-up and survivorship.
We care for adults at Huntsman Cancer Institute and children at Primary Children’s Hospital through our integrated team of internationally recognized experts in sarcoma surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, radiology, and pathology. As the only Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute in the Mountain West, we offer the latest evidence-based treatments, including access to groundbreaking organ-based sarcoma clinical trials.
"Every member of the Sarcoma Care Team I have interacted with has been patient, caring, helpful, and forthright in answering any questions. I get the feeling every one of them cares about me as a person."
—Sarcoma Patient
Treatments We Offer
Our team of sarcoma experts collaborates closely to help you develop personalized treatment plans. Central to that collaborative care are our weekly multidisciplinary treatment planning conferences, where our entire team of sarcoma experts meets to work together on the best treatment plan for each patient.
We offer a comprehensive range of specialized treatments for organ-based sarcoma patients:
- Surgery: For sarcomas in the abdomen or associated with organs, our surgeons employ function-optimizing techniques.
- Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is used as the principal treatment of sarcomas that are not removable with surgery. We utilize advanced radiation techniques, including proton therapy, to deliver precise radiation doses to tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.
- Chemotherapy: Sarcoma treatment may include traditional chemotherapies or other systemic treatments (applied in pill or infusion form) that avoid some of the known unpleasant side effects of traditional chemotherapies.
- Clinical trials: We operate the only Phase 1 clinical cancer research program in the region, offering more than 400 open clinical trials to patients. These trials provide access to cutting-edge therapies and investigational treatments, contributing to advancements in sarcoma care. We have a number of organ-based sarcoma clinical trials open at any given time.
Our Expertise
We are at the forefront of sarcoma treatment, with expertise in the following:
- Multidisciplinary care for all types of organ-based sarcomas
- Coordinated care across specialties and geographic regions
- Long-term follow-up and survivorship support
- Access to organ-based sarcoma clinical trials
Supportive care services are available for every patient and patient’s family member. You are supported by a team of doctors, nurses, medical assistants, social workers, and counselors.
We can also coordinate care for patients from a long distance, working with local providers and arranging the vast supportive care resources of the Hope Lodge and Ronald McDonald House for patients needing to relocate temporarily to Salt Lake City. We connect teenagers and young adult patients to a host of supportive services available through the Huntsman-Intermountain Adolescent and Young Adult (HIAYA) Cancer Care Program.
Patient Care Philosophy
We believe no one should face cancer alone. Our dedicated and world-renowned doctors, nurses, and medical staff are at the forefront of patient-centered care. We treat the whole person, not just their cancer.
Each day, our medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists work together across disciplines to create and coordinate treatment plans for every patient. We understand cancer is a complex disease. That is why we use a team approach that includes social workers and support groups, as well as wellness and integrative health services such as acupuncture, massage, creative arts, and more.
Find an Organ-Based Sarcomas Doctor
Organ-Based Sarcomas Research
Huntsman Cancer Institute is a leader in sarcoma research, focusing on understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying different sarcoma types.
Through our specialty Sarcoma Disease Center, we bring together doctors and scientists who work side by side to turn scientific discoveries into better outcomes for you. Our researchers have developed genetically engineered models for various organ-based sarcomas. These models are instrumental in testing and improving cancer treatments, as well as in conducting basic research to understand the mechanisms and genetic basis of sarcoma development.
Clinical Trials
Make an Appointment with an Organ-Based Sarcoma Specialist
To make an appointment with a organ-based sarcoma specialist, fill out our appointment form or call 801-587-7000. Our team will determine if your insurance covers treatment at Huntsman Cancer Institute or if you need a referral from a primary care doctor.
External providers can refer a patient using the online referral form or by calling 801-587-7000 to speak to a patient registration specialist.
Organ-Based Sarcomas Basics
Organ-based sarcomas are sarcomas that originate within the soft tissues within or around internal organs. These cancers arise from the connective or supportive tissues inside organs—such as smooth muscle, blood vessels, or other structural components—and can occur in locations like the gastrointestinal tract, uterus, retroperitoneum, or other visceral organs.
There are numerous types of organ-based sarcomas. Here are some of the organ-based sarcomas we diagnose and treat:
- Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST): usually form in the stomach or small intestine
- Leiomyosarcoma: most commonly forms in the uterus and can also form in the bladder or gastrointestinal system
- Liposarcoma: can happen in fat cells in any part of the body, including the abdomen and an area within it called the retroperitoneum
- Angiosarcoma: can form in blood or lymph vessels in internal organs
- Synovial sarcoma: can form in the abdomen or lungs
The signs and symptoms of organ-based sarcomas vary depending on the organ involved.
These are signs and symptoms of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST):
- Blood (either bright red or very dark) in the stool or vomit
- Pain in the abdomen, which may be severe
- Feeling very tired
- Trouble or pain when swallowing
- Feeling full after eating only a little food
These are signs and symptoms of uterine leiomyosarcoma:
- Abnormal bleeding or spotting from the uterus
- Leakage from the vagina that is not bloody
- Pain or feeling of fullness in the lower belly
These are signs of liposarcoma in the abdomen and retroperitoneum:
- Pain or swelling in the abdomen
- Feeling full after eating only a little food
- Constipation
- Blood in stool
These are not sure signs of sarcomas. An infection or other problem can also cause them. Anyone with these symptoms should see a doctor as soon as possible.
Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean you are sure to get cancer. It means your chances are higher than the average person’s. Talk with your doctor to learn more about your cancer risk.
These are some risk factors for organ-based sarcomas:
- Inherited genetic syndromes
- Li-Fraumeni syndrome
- Neurofibromatosis type 1
- Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)
- Retinoblastoma
- Werner syndrome
- Tuberous sclerosis
- Basal cell nevus syndrome (also called Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome)
- Previous radiation therapy: for other cancers (especially breast, lymphoma, GI cancers)
- Chronic lymphedema (Linked to angiosarcoma)
- Exposure to certain chemicals
- Vinyl chloride
- Arsenic
- Herbicides/pesticides (including dioxins)
- Thorotrast (historical contrast agent)
Understand your risk. Schedule a genetic counseling session today.
Doctors may use these tests to diagnose organ-based sarcomas:
- Physical exam and history: A health care provider examines your body for signs of disease. Your personal health habits, past illnesses, and symptoms help guide the exam.
- Imaging tests: Using dyes, X-rays, magnets, radio waves, and/or computer technology, your health care provider can create detailed images of internal organs. Your health care provider may inject or have you swallow a dye to help see the images.
- Biopsy: The health care provider removes cell or tissue samples so they can be viewed under a microscope to check for signs of cancer.
When a person is diagnosed with cancer, concerns about treatments and side effects, hospital stays, and medical bills are common. Huntsman Cancer Institute offers many ways to support patients, caregivers, and loved ones.
Cancer stages show whether cancer has spread within the soft tissue or to other parts of the body. Cancer spreads in the body in three ways: through tissue, the lymph system, or the blood. Sarcoma usually spreads by growing into nearby tissues or through the blood to the lungs.
These are the general stages used for organ-based sarcomas:
- Localized: The cancer has not grown beyond its beginning position.
- Regionally advanced: The sarcoma has grown large enough to invade surrounding tissues or spread to nearby lymph nodes. This happens only in a few types of sarcoma.
- Metastatic: The sarcoma has spread to a distant part of the body, usually the lungs.
When cancer spreads from where it started to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. These metastatic cancer cells are the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if sarcoma spreads to the lung, the cancer cells in the lung are actually sarcoma cells. The disease is metastatic sarcoma, not lung cancer.
Need help navigating your care? The Cancer Learning Center is here to support you with personalized guidance, resources, and answers to your questions.
