Welcome to EmpowHer and thank you for your post! Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a rare soft tissue sarcoma that is rarely found in children and more often in adults. Because of it's rarity, the exact cause of soft tissue sarcoma is not known.
Risk factors include:
Exposure to certain types of chemicals, such as:
Chemicals in herbicides and wood preservatives
Polycyclic hydrocarbons
Dioxin
Exposure to radiation, including therapeutic, diagnostic, and accidental
History of angiosarcoma of the liver
Weak or poorly functioning immune system (including having an HIV infection)
Certain inherited diseases, such as:
Li-Fraumeni syndrome
Neurofibromatosis
Gardner's syndrome
Retinoblastoma
The treatment option that your doctor has recommended for you is:
Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the use of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. When a sarcoma is aggressive looking, the surgeon will remove as much of it as possible. Adding radiation will significantly reduce the chances of the cancer coming back. Radiation may be:
External radiation therapy—radiation directed at the tumor from a source outside the body
Internal radiation therapy—radioactive materials placed into the body near the cancer cells.
Your daughter is not at an increased risk of getting the sarcoma because it is not know to be hereditary but if you are planning on having children in the next couple of years, it is best to consult this with your doctor.
Comment Reply
Hi Anon,
Welcome to EmpowHer and thank you for your post! Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a rare soft tissue sarcoma that is rarely found in children and more often in adults. Because of it's rarity, the exact cause of soft tissue sarcoma is not known.
Risk factors include:
Exposure to certain types of chemicals, such as:
Chemicals in herbicides and wood preservatives
Polycyclic hydrocarbons
Dioxin
Exposure to radiation, including therapeutic, diagnostic, and accidental
History of angiosarcoma of the liver
Weak or poorly functioning immune system (including having an HIV infection)
Certain inherited diseases, such as:
Li-Fraumeni syndrome
Neurofibromatosis
Gardner's syndrome
Retinoblastoma
The treatment option that your doctor has recommended for you is:
Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the use of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. When a sarcoma is aggressive looking, the surgeon will remove as much of it as possible. Adding radiation will significantly reduce the chances of the cancer coming back. Radiation may be:
External radiation therapy—radiation directed at the tumor from a source outside the body
Internal radiation therapy—radioactive materials placed into the body near the cancer cells.
Your daughter is not at an increased risk of getting the sarcoma because it is not know to be hereditary but if you are planning on having children in the next couple of years, it is best to consult this with your doctor.
All the best!
Rosa
July 21, 2011 - 8:13amThis Comment
Reply