What to Expect

Once a diagnosis of cancer has been made, you will probably talk with your primary care physician along with several cancer specialists, such as a surgeon, a medical oncologist and a radiation oncologist. You will want to ask these doctors about all your treatment options.

In many cases, your cancer will need to be treated by using more than one type of treatment. If you are diagnosed with a sarcoma, you might have surgery to remove the tumor (by a surgeon), then have radiation therapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells in or near your where your sarcoma was removed. Alternatively, you might have radiation therapy before surgery in order to shrink the sarcoma and make it easier for the surgeon to remove the tumor. This radiation can be given to the whole tumor and a small area around the sarcoma. You also might receive chemotherapy (by a medical oncologist) to destroy cancer cells that may have traveled to other parts of the body.

After reviewing your medical record including imaging, as well as completing a thorough patient history and physical examination, your radiation oncologist will discuss with you the potential benefits and risks of radiation therapy and answer your questions. For a list of questions that you may want to ask, please see the section Questions to Ask Your Doctor.