The Other Organ: Importance of Skin and Tissue Donations

by ilsbio

While the general public is aware of the need for donations of such organs as hearts and kidneys, skin and tissue donations are also very important to medical science and research.

Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Many individuals are affected annually by cancers of the soft tissue, affecting the fat, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, tendons and ligaments, and fibrous tissues. In fact, there are currently more than 50 types of these cancers.

Soft tissue is a term used to indicate any of the supporting tissues of the body, other than the bones. These serve as connective tissues and support or surround the other organs and parts of the body. Since there are such soft tissues throughout your body, this form of cancer can grow virtually anywhere in the body.

The wide-ranging types of sarcomas make it essential to collect many different types of tissues to assist in research for research and study. As with all cancers, screening and diagnosis is important to catch the disease as early as possible. Once diagnosed, patients will be staged, or assessed as to the progress of the cancer. The TNM staging system is generally used with sarcomas, which indicates tumor, nodes and metastasis.

Progress in Soft Tissue Sarcoma Research

Cancer tissue information garnered from current patients has played a vital role in developing new treatments and procedures for those diagnosed with the cancer. Much of the current research is focused on how the sarcoma affects and changes the patients DNA and causes the cancer to spread.

The information found in this information has also produced new forms of tests and diagnosis, aiding in early identification and classification of the cancer. Earlier detection is an important tool in preventing the spread of the sarcoma and helping to determine the appropriate treatment options.

Medical researchers are using cancer tissues from the many areas of the body affected by sarcomas to determine what differences exist in each form of the disease. This comparative research is designed to help with both treating the problem and seeking out clues as to the causes of the cancers.

With the analysis of collected cancer tissues, doctors and researchers are able to assess the effectiveness of various treatment options, from chemotherapy to radiation. One new drug that has shown promising results for such treatment is trabectedin. While still in clinical trials in the U.S., it is proven effective in many European patients.

Another major breakthrough made possible by the use and study of cancer tissues is the development of targeted therapies. These drugs are designed to block and attack specific molecules within the cancer itself, stopping its growth.

Cancer tissues are fundamental to the ongoing work to effectively treat and prevent soft tissue sarcomas.