Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma

Important
It is possible that the main title of the report Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report.

Synonyms

ASPS
Alveolar sarcoma of soft parts
ASP sarcoma

Disorder Subdivisions

None

General Discussion

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare sarcoma (malignant tumor of connective tissue) of an unclear cause. It is among the least common sarcomas, representing 0.2-1 percent of large studies of soft tissue sarcomas. Since there are approximately 8000 soft-tissue sarcomas per year that arise in the United States, this means there are on the order of 15 to 80 cases nationwide each year. It is characterized by a painless mass in the leg or buttock, with a particular affinity to travel to the lungs as multiple nodules, presumably while the sarcoma itself is still small. ASPS is very rare, because it involves a specific breaking and joining event between two chromosomes, called an "unbalanced translocation". This finding is observed in essentially all ASPS examined so far. This finding cannot be passed on to children, however, as the finding occurs only in the tumor, not in the normal cells; in addition, there are no families in which multiple family members have ASPS.

Treatment is with surgery and radiation for the primary place where the sarcoma arises. For disease that travels to the lungs, sometimes surgery is possible to remove nodules, but more typically chemotherapy is the only option for treatment. This tumor tends to be resistant to standard chemotherapy, so new treatments involving new chemotherapy drugs are also a reasonable option for treatment. Interferon-alfa showed benefit in one person from Japan with ASPS. There is little other data on possible helpful chemotherapy for this tumor.
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Resources

American Cancer Society, Inc.
1599 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
USA
Tel: 4043203333
Tel: 8002272345
Internet: http://www.cancer.org

National Cancer Institute
6116 Executive Blvd, MSC 8322, Room 3036A
Bethesda, MD 20892-8322
USA
Tel: 3014353848
Tel: 8004226237
TDD: 8003328615
Internet: http://www.cancer.gov

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
1010 Wayne Avenue
Suite770
Silver Spring, MD 20910-5600
Tel: (301)650-9127
Fax: (301)565-9670
Tel: (877)622-7937
Email: infor@canceradvocacy.org
Internet: http:// www.canceradvocacy.org

Sarcoma Foundation of America
PO Box 458
9884 Main Street
Damascus, MD 20872
USA
Tel: 3012538690
Fax: 3012538690
Email: info@curesarcoma.org
Internet: http://www.curesarcoma.org

Sarcoma Alliance
775 E. Blithedale #334
Mill Valley, CA 94941
USA
Tel: 4153817236
Fax: 4153817235
Email: info@sarcomaalliance.org
Internet: http://www.sarcomaalliance.org

Rare Cancer Alliance
1649 North Pacana Way
Green Valley, AZ 85614
USA
Tel: 5206255495
Fax: 6155264921
Email: sharon.lane@rare-cancer.org
Internet: http://www.rare-cancer.org

Alliance Against Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma
141-08 Coolidge Ave
Briarwood, NY 11435
USA
Tel: 7185237752
Fax: 7186570516
Email: info@alveolarspsarcoma.net
Internet: http://www.alveolarspsarcoma.net/

Cure Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma International
260 Tappan St.
Brookline, MA 02445
Tel: (617)731-1143
Email: landesmany@yahoo.com
Internet: http://cureasps.org/

Friends of Cancer Research
2231 Crystal Drive
Suite 200
Arlington, VA 22202
Tel: (703)302-1503
Fax: (703)302-1568
Email: info@focr.org
Internet: http://www.focr.org

People Living With Cancer
1900 Duke Street
Suite 200
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel: (703)299-0150
Fax: (703)684-8618
Tel: (888)651-3038
Email: contactus@plwc.org
Internet: http://www.plwc.org

Wellness Community
919 18th Street N.W.
Suite 54
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202)659-9709
Fax: (202)659-9301
Tel: (888)793-9355
Email: help@thewellnesscommunity.org
Internet: http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org

For a Complete Report

This is an abstract of a report from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. ® (NORD). A copy of the complete report can be obtained for a small fee by visiting the NORD website. The complete report contains additional information including symptoms, causes, affected population, related disorders, standard and investigational treatments (if available), and references from medical literature. For a full-text version of this topic, see http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdblist.html

The information provided in this report is not intended for diagnostic purposes. It is provided for informational purposes only. NORD recommends that affected individuals seek the advice or counsel of their own personal physicians.
It is possible that the title of this topic is not the name you selected. Please check the Synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and Disorder Subdivision(s) covered by this report.
This disease entry is based upon medical information available through the date at the end of the topic. Since NORD's resources are limited, it is not possible to keep every entry in the Rare Disease Database completely current and accurate. Please check with the agencies listed in the Resources section for the most current information about this disorder.
For additional information and assistance about rare disorders, please contact the National Organization for Rare Disorders at P.O. Box 1968, Danbury, CT 06813-1968; phone (203) 744-0100; web site www.rarediseases.org or email orphan@rarediseases.org
Last Updated: 12/9/2004
Copyright 2002 National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc.

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