Surgical Treatment for Knee Sarcoma

A sarcoma is a cancer of the connective tissue, such as nerves, muscles, fat, tendons and bones. Sarcomas can arise anywhere in the body and are frequently hidden deep in the limbs.

Sarcomas are divided into two main types: soft tissue and bone. When a bone tumor grows, it destroys healthy bone tissue. When this occurs around the bones of the knee, it can cause pain, swelling, stiffness and even limping. Sarcomas are very rare, and are often misdiagnosed and assumed to be sports injuries, arthritis or benign bumps.

If you've been diagnosed with sarcoma around the bones or soft tissues of the knee, it is extremely important to receive treatment at a cancer center that specializes in the multidisciplinary treatment of sarcoma. At Penn Medicine, our Orthopaedic Oncology team diagnoses and treats all types of sarcomas. Our program offers the most comprehensive and experienced sarcoma team in the region, with over 30 years of combined experience in orthopaedic oncology and full-time scientists studying sarcoma. We work with experts in medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, plastic surgery, radiology and pathology.

Learn more about Penn Medicine Sarcoma Program

Meet the team of experts who specialize in treating knee sarcoma

What Is the Best Treatment for Sarcoma?

Cancer treatments are developed on an individual patient basis and, depending on your condition, there are several different treatment options.

Surgery

• Limb-sparing extremity surgery is possible in more than 90 percent of situations involving sarcoma of the arms or legs.
• After removal of a bone sarcoma around the knee, reconstruction can be performed with a metal prosthesis, cadaver bone, or transplantation of living bone from elsewhere in your body. Sometimes, a combination of these techniques is used.
• After removal of a soft tissue sarcoma around the knee, muscle reconstruction may be performed by a plastic surgeon during the same surgery. Muscles in the local or distant area can be shifted or transplanted into the area.

Chemotherapy

Depending on the size, grade, and type of sarcoma, chemotherapy may be recommended for treatment of the local tumor and prevention of spread. In addition to standard chemotherapy, there are clinical trials for some bone or soft tissue sarcomas.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation is another form of cancer treatment that prevents cancer cells from growing and dividing. It works by damaging DNA inside each cell. It can also affect healthy cells, but they repair their damage.

For patients with sarcomas in the soft tissues (not bone), radiation is almost always used prior to surgical removal to help prevent the tumor from coming back in the same location.

The Penn Sarcoma Program utilizes either intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or proton therapy for most patients with soft tissue sarcoma.

Radiation can be combined with immunotherapy agents in various sarcoma clinical trials.

Clinical Trials

Penn Medicine has a robust research program with sarcoma-specific clinical trials and we are constantly studying ways to provide better treatment options and ultimately cure patients.

Find a clinical trial