SARCOMA AWARENESS MONTH - JULY

•  <1% of all malignant tumours 
•  only 5–15% occur in the head and neck region

                    ADULTS

•  The most common primary site was the skin and soft tissues , followed by the bones of the skull and face   and the oral cavity 
•  The most common histological types were malignant fibrous histiocytomas (MFH), Kaposi sarcoma and hemangiosarcomas. 

                    PEDIATRIC

•  The most common primary site was the skin and soft tissues  followed by the bones of the skull and face,  and the nasal cavities, paranasal sinuses and middle ear  
•  The most common histological types were RMS, MFH and osteosarcomas. 

                       MANAGEMENT

•  Unfortunately, head and neck sarcomas do not traditionally exhibit the high local control rates seen in other anatomical regions 
•  Lung is the most frequent site of metastasis. 
•  Histological, immunohistological and molecular analyses are important for pathological diagnosis. 
•   In the multidisciplinary treatment of sarcomas, surgical resection followed by RT is the basic local treatment for resectable ones.
•  In sarcomas that are sensitive to chemotherapy, perioperative chemotherapy is considered, and the treatment strategy is based on the recurrence risk 
•  Sarcomas in children, such as RMS and Ewing’s sarcoma, are generally radiosensitive and show improved outcomes with multidisciplinary therapy