Juhi Kumari
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Written By: Juhi Kumari | Published : August 27, 2019 1:27 PM IST
Arun Jaitely had soft tissue sarcoma, which is a rare form of cancer of the soft tissue. © Getty Images
Former Finance Minister, Arun Jaitely's demise left everybody in shock. He complained of breathlessness and discomfort on August 24, after which he was admitted to AIIMS. Finally, at around 12, the 66-year-old BJP veteran was pronounced dead. For the past few years, he was going through a lot of health issues. He was a diabetic. Also, last year, in the month of May, he underwent a successful kidney transplant procedure at AIIMS. Additionally, Jaitely had a coronary bypass surgery and then a bariatric surgery to reduce excess weight. This BJP leader also had soft tissue sarcoma, which is a rare form of cancer of the soft tissue. In January, this year, he went to US for the treatment of this condition.
While we mourn the loss of our leader, let us know what exactly is a soft tissue sarcoma?
It is a type of cancer that occurs in the tissue connecting other body structures. These tissues may be your muscles, fat, lining of joints, etc. According to a study published in the South Asian Journal of Cancer, soft tissue sarcoma accounts for 0.2 per cent of all cancers. It is an extremely rare condition. Though it can affect anybody anywhere, soft tissue sarcoma is very common in children.
As far as its symptoms are concerned, the condition doesn't show any sign in the early stage. It is only in the later stage that the patient starts experiencing a lump or swelling in the affected area and extreme pain. Doctors do not know the exact cause behind this malignant cancer. However, they do feel that certain factors like family history of Gardner syndrome, neurofibromatosis, exposure to chemicals like dioxin, arsenic, or vinyl chloride and radiation may increase your risk of developing soft tissue sarcoma.
There are various types of soft tissue sarcoma, based on the origin of the tumour. So, to know about the exact type, doctors need to perform various tests. Let's see what they are.
Imaging test includes four types of diagnostic procedures, namely, X-rays, computerised tomography scans, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography.
X-ray: An x-ray is a test that involves usage of safe levels of x-ray beams that passes through your affected body part and helps in the formation of an image on a specialised plate. It is quick and painless.
Computerised tomography scans: During computerised tomography scans (CT-scan), doctors use a combination of x-rays from different angles. This is done to have cross-sectional images of the affected area to get the detailed information.
Magnetic resonance imaging: MRI is an imaging technique in which a magnetic field and radio waves are used. These waves are generated by a computer. MRI helps in getting a detailed picture of the affected area.
Positron emission tomography: It is an effective imaging test that help in scanning the area affected. During a PET scan, doctors give a radioactive drug to the patient. It can be injected in the body, swallowed or inhaled. The method depends on the area that needs to be studied. The drug actually gets accumulated in the area where chemical activity is maximum in the body and it appears bright during scan.
In case your doctor suspects soft tissue sarcoma, he may suggest you go through biopsy. It is of two types, namely, core needle biopsy and surgical biopsy. The former includes usage of a needle to obtain tiny tubes of the tumour. The latter includes a surgery to obtain a large sample of your tumour.
Usually doctors recommend a surgery to get rid of soft tissue sarcoma. In this procedure, cancerous tissue along with some healthy tissues surrounding the area are removed surgically. However, when the cancer occurs in the legs or arms, other methods like radiation therapy, chemotherapy and targeted drug treatment are also considered.
Radiation therapy: It is a cancer treatment option in which beams of intense energy is used to damage the cancer cells. These beams target the tumour and helps in destroying the DNA that controls the growth of cancerous cells. It is used by the doctors before surgery to shrink the tumour and this makes it easy to remove them. During radiation therapy, intraoperative radiation is delivered directly to the affected area. It doesn't affect the tissues surrounding the cancerous cells. This method can also be used post-surgery to successfully kill any remaining cancer cells.
Chemotherapy: It involves using powerful drugs to kill the cancerous cells. Though it is considered to be effective way to treat cancer, it has various side-effects like hair loss, vomiting, fever, fatigue, pain, constipation, loss of appetite, nausea, etc. It can be used as a sole treatment of soft tissue sarcoma or can be used after a surgery to kill any other remaining cancerous cells.
Notably, chemotherapy is used before a cancer surgery as well. This is again to shrink the tumour enough to take it out effectively without leaving any part of the cancerous tissue behind. The chemo drugs interfere with the ability of cancerous cells to divide and grow. They also stop the food sources like enzymes and hormones from reaching the cancerous area. Additionally, drugs used for chemotherapy helps in stopping the blood supply to the cancerous tumour so that they starve and die eventually.
Targeted drug treatment: Some types of soft tissue sarcoma have been found to have specific characteristics in their cells. This makes treatment a bit difficult. These cells can be attacked through targeted drug treatment. This method includes usage of special drugs that are made to specifically target certain genes and proteins contributing to growth and development of cancer.
