In children and adolescents, however, its incidence is higher, accounting for between 13% and 15% of diagnosed cancers and constituting the third most common type of tumor in these age groups. In Spain, approximately 2,600 new cases are diagnosed each year, although sarcomas account for 2% of cancer-related deaths.
Its low incidence makes it a little-known disease, but for those affected it causes significant limitations to their quality of life and, in some cases, involves tumors that progress rapidly or carry a high risk of relapse. This uncommon type of cancer originates in the bones or soft tissues of the body.
Because it is such a rare disease, the path to the correct diagnosis can often be a long one. That is why it is so important to raise awareness of sarcoma and facilitate its identification in the early stages, enabling patients to reach specialized centers as soon as possible, where they can be assessed by experienced multidisciplinary teams.
In Zaragoza, on the occasion of World Sarcoma Day, which is celebrated tomorrow, Sunday, September 20, the Aljafería Palace will be lit up in yellow, the international symbol of the fight against this group of tumors. The City Council will also illuminate the city's fountains in yellow next Wednesday, September 23, from 9 to 11 p.m.
INFORMATION TABLES
In addition, the Association of Patients with Sarcomas and Other Rare Tumors (APSATUR) will carry out various awareness-raising activities by setting up information tables on the mornings of September 21, 22 and 23 in the lobby of Miguel Servet University Hospital in Zaragoza (Pº Isabel La Católica, 1). The Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) will also take part in this initiative.
Specialists from the hospital with experience in treating sarcoma will also attend the table on Monday, September 21. They will share the space with association representatives to provide information and answer patients' and citizens' questions.
APSATUR will also set up an information table this Sunday in Zaragoza's Parque Grande. The activity will take place throughout the morning at the Puente de los Cantautores. All these activities aim to raise the profile of these tumors and promote greater public understanding of the reality faced by those affected.
SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
This is precisely the purpose of the scientific conference organized next Thursday, September 24, by the Sarcoma Multidisciplinary Committee of Zaragoza's Lozano Blesa University Hospital, under the title ‘Diagnosis and Treatment of Mesenchymal Tumors –Sarcomas–’, in the auditorium of the healthcare center.
The First Multidisciplinary Conference on ‘Diagnosis and Treatment of Mesenchymal Tumors –Sarcomas–’ has been organized into several round tables. One will address bone sarcomas, another will focus on soft-tissue sarcomas, and a third will discuss the most common tumor of the soft tissues: gastrointestinal stromal tumor, involving the mucosa that protects the digestive system.
There will be two more round tables, one on the contribution of nursing to the treatment of these patients, since nurses' role as case managers is essential to providing the best possible care and placing sarcoma patients at the center of treatment. The fifth and final table will address the patients' perspective through APSATUR and the Spanish Association Against Cancer.
