Symptoms of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma symptoms might include:

• A growing lump
• A painless lump or mass that may or may not move when you touch it
• Numbness or tingling if a lump or mass is pushing on or arising from a nerve
• Swelling in an arm or leg

UPS doesn’t always cause noticeable symptoms. It’s most often painless, doesn’t have any skin changes over the top and doesn’t typically cause symptoms like fever, weight loss or general malaise.

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma causes

Experts aren’t sure what causes undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. They know it happens when healthy cells develop changes in their DNA, but they don’t know what causes those changes.

Risk factors

A risk factor is something that increases your chances of getting a condition. Known risk factors for UPS include:

• Being male (white males have the highest risk)
• Being over the age of 50
• Certain diseases like neurofibromatosis or Paget’s disease of bone
• Certain genetic disorders like Li-Fraumeni syndrome
• Exposure to certain chemicals like arsenic or vinyl chloride
• History of radiation therapy to the affected area
• Occupational radiation exposure

Most people who develop UPS don’t have any known risk factors.

How doctors diagnose undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma

Your healthcare provider will start by reviewing your health and biological family history. They’ll also ask questions about your symptoms, like when they started and whether they’ve changed over time. They’ll also do:

• A physical exam. They’ll check the size of the lump and feel its location and how hard it is.
• Imaging tests. These typically include X-rays, an ultrasound and/or an MRI.
• Biopsy. Your provider will take a small sample of tissue and send it to a pathologist for testing. This involves looking at the sample under a microscope.

How is UPS treated?

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma treatment depends on the size of the tumor and whether the cancer has spread. The main treatment for early-stage UPS is typically surgery to remove the growth, most often combined with radiation therapy. But you might need additional cancer treatments, too.

Surgery

Surgery for undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma involves removing the tumor. The goal is to remove the entire sarcoma and a little bit of the healthy tissue around it (known as “the margin”). Your surgeon does this to improve the chances of removing all the cancer cells. If cancer cells are at the edge of the removed tumor, there’s a risk that some may be left in your body as well.

If UPS affects your arms or legs, your surgeon will try to remove the cancer and preserve as much function as possible. But in some cases, amputation may be necessary. Ask your oncologist what type of treatment they recommend for your situation.

Additional cancer treatments

Oncologists may also use additional treatments before or after surgery. These treatments rarely shrink the tumor, but they can help make the tumors safer to remove at surgery or treat any remaining cancer cells after surgery:

• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy
• Radiation therapy