Second Cancers After Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Cancer survivors can be affected by a number of health problems, but often their greatest concern is facing cancer again. If a cancer comes back after treatment it is called a recurrence. But some cancer survivors may develop a new, unrelated cancer later. This is called a second cancer. No matter what type of cancer you have had, it's still possible to get another (new) cancer, even after surviving the first.

Unfortunately, being treated for cancer doesn’t mean you can’t get another cancer. People who have had cancer can still get the same types of cancers that other people get. In fact, certain types of cancer and cancer treatments can be linked to a higher risk of certain second cancers.

Survivors of soft tissue sarcoma can get any type of second cancer, but they have an increased risk of these cancers, depending on where the tumor was and the type of treatment used:

• A second soft-tissue sarcoma (this is different than the first one coming back)
• Bone cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Melanoma of the skin
• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)

Some second bone cancers may be due to treatment with radiation therapy. Radiation and chemotherapy likely contribute to the cases of leukemia.

Follow-up after treatment

After treatment for soft tissue sarcoma, you should still see your doctor regularly. Tests will be done to look for signs the cancer has come back or spread. But experts do not recommend any additional testing to look for second cancers in patients without symptoms. Let your doctor know about any new symptoms or problems, because they could be caused by the cancer coming back, by a new disease, or by a second cancer.

Patients who have completed treatment should follow the American Cancer Society guidelines for the early detection of cancer.

The Children’s Oncology Group has guidelines for the follow-up of patients treated for cancer as a child, teen, or young adult, including screening for second cancers. These can be found at www.survivorshipguidelines.org.

All survivors of soft tissue sarcoma should avoid tobacco smoke, as smoking increases the risk of many cancers, as well as other health problems.

To help maintain good health, survivors should also:

• Get to and stay at a healthy weight
• Keep physically active and limit the time you spend sitting or lying down
• Follow a healthy eating pattern that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and limits or avoids red and processed meats, sugary drinks, and highly processed foods
• Not drink alcohol. If you do drink, have no more than 1 drink per day for women or 2 per day for men

These steps may also lower the risk of some other health problems.

See Second Cancers in Adults for more information.