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July is Sarcoma Awareness Month, and the Australia and New Zealand Sarcoma Association () has raised some key concerns 鈥� including the fact that research is lagging, despite sarcoma accounting for one-third of adolescent cancer deaths.

Being the deadliest cancer for children and young adults, sarcoma accounts for 30% of cancer-related deaths among those aged 15鈥�24 and 10% of those aged 0鈥�14. Further, ANZSA said the cancer is still severely underdiagnosed, just 15% of all cancer diagnoses in the 15鈥�24 age group and 8% among children under 10.

鈥淪arcomas can form anywhere in the soft tissue or bone of the body; however, due to an overall lack of awareness and investment in early detection methods, they can be difficult to diagnose,鈥� medical oncologist Dr Vivek Bhadri explained.

鈥淔or example, the soft tissue sarcoma, liposarcoma, develops in the fat cells around the abdomen, thighs, limbs and behind the knees, and typically grows very slowly, so patients and practitioners alike may struggle to detect it until it has progressed significantly, potentially impacting patient outcomes,鈥� Bhadri said.

鈥淓ven once it is found, practitioners that are not sarcoma experts may misdiagnose liposarcoma as a benign lipoma tumour instead, which can further delay treatment and risk patient prognosis,鈥� Bhadri added.

With that sarcomas are misdiagnosed in 30% of cases, part of ANZSA鈥檚 awareness raising this month includes the importance of ongoing research to support diagnostic developments, alongside improvements in patient treatment and management pathways.

Funding for sarcoma research聽is another key area of concern, which ANZSA says is 鈥渃ritically low鈥� 鈥� sarcoma research receiving just $4.6 million in 2018鈥�2020. 鈥淪arcoma gets only a tiny fraction of funding for research that more common cancers receive,鈥� ANZSA said, 鈥渄espite having the same costs to conduct studies.鈥�

This lack of funding 鈥渞eflects long-term survival rates for sarcoma鈥�, ANZSA added, 鈥渨hich remain concerningly low, at just a 50% 10-year survival rate, while five-year survival rates for common cancers such as and have increased to over 90% in the past four decades (96% and 92% respectively)鈥�.

Further, as rare and complex cancers that form in bone, cartilage or soft tissue, sarcomas account for only 1% of all adult cancer diagnoses; and with more than 100 different subtypes of sarcoma 鈥� each requiring their own diagnostic and treatment pathways 鈥� continued research, ANZSA says, is essential to improving patient outcomes.

鈥淐linical trials and studies are a crucial step towards advancing treatment options, accessibility of treatments and patient care,鈥� ANZSA CEO Dr Denise Caruso said. 鈥淵et sarcoma research continues to be passed over in the research sector due to a lack of visibility and awareness, impacting the lives of the over 2600 Australians diagnosed each year.鈥�

Image credit: iStock.com/Panuwat Dangsungnoen