Myxofibrosarcoma

What is a Myxofibrosarcoma?

Myxofibrosarcoma is an aggressive form of soft tissue sarcoma. Myxofibrosarcoma’s are frequently found in connective tissue (fatty tissue around muscles and beneath the skin) and have a highly infiltrative appearance.

Who Does Myxofibrosarcoma Affect?

Myxofibrosarcoma most often develops in adults between the age of 50 and 80 years. It commonly occurs in the extremities and especially the lower legs.

How Does Myxofibrosarcoma Occur?

Myxofibrosarcoma development is still poorly understood. It results due to DNA mutations in connective tissue cells leading to uncontrolled growth and formation of mutated cells, resulting in tumour formation.

Symptoms Of Myxofibrosarcoma?

The symptoms for Myxofibrosarcoma include:

Formation of a lump or mass, which might be painful in nature.
Symptoms depend on where in your body the mass develops and its effect on local structures.

How is Myxofibrosarcoma Diagnosed?

Doctors use a variety of tests to confirm a myxofibrosarcoma diagnosis. These tests include the following:

Physical Exam: During a physical exam, a doctor looks at and assesses the tumour.
Imaging Tests: Tests such as CT and MRI scans help doctors locate the tumour and determine if it is cancerous or benign.
Biopsy: A doctor uses a needle to take a sample of tissue from the tumour. Reviewing the cell sample under a microscope can identify features of myxofibrosarcoma.

Surgical Treatment for Myxofibrosarcoma

The most common treatment for myxofibrosarcoma is surgical removal of the tumour. This can be a challenging process depending on where the tumour is located. The aim of surgery is to remove the tumour with a margin of normal surrounding tissue if possible. This improves the chance of cure and reduces the risk of the tumour re-occurring. Myxofibrosarcoma’s are known to be highly infiltrative and a wide margin of normal tissue needs to be removed to ensure all the tumour is removed.

Sometimes, radiation therapy or chemotherapy is given before surgery to help shrink the tumour and improve the results (compared with surgery alone).

Non-Surgical Treatments for Myxofibrosarcoma

Radiation Therapy

The use of radiotherapy for these tumours is common. Radiotherapy (either before or after surgery) is useful in the management of myxofibrosarcomas. It has been shown to reduce the chance of the tumour re-occurring locally after surgical resection.