Ewing Sarcoma
Why choose us for Ewing sarcoma care?
Ewing sarcoma is a rare type of bone and soft-tissue cancer that mostly affects older children through young adults. At Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, patients see pediatric and oncology (cancer) experts who specialize in rare sarcoma cancers.
Our doctors regularly care for patients with Ewing sarcoma and other rare cancers. This experience, along with our collaborative approach, provides an exceptional quality of care convenient to San Antonio and surrounding communities.
Find out more about our sarcoma cancer program and pediatric sarcoma program.
What you need to know about Ewing sarcoma
- Ewing sarcoma is a very rare cancer that usually develops during adolescence and young adulthood. It makes up 1% of all childhood cancers. We have a team of doctors who specialize in rare sarcomas, which enables us to provide a high level of precision in Ewing sarcoma diagnosis and treatment.
- Researchers have found that Ewing sarcoma can stem from genetic changes that happen sometime after birth. These genetic variations are not passed down through families. Much remains unknown about why Ewing sarcoma tumors start growing in some children.
- Ewing sarcoma often affects teens and young adults. Our social workers and clinical psychologists have a deep understanding of the obstacles Ewing sarcoma can cause in the lives of these patients and their families. We are here to listen and guide you to resources that can help. Learn more about our adolescent and young adult cancer program.
- Our team is well-versed in caring for children and families who travel from outside San Antonio to receive our specialized care. We can help coordinate testing. And we can guide your family to available resources to help you access cancer care more easily.
How to talk to your doctor about Ewing sarcoma
If your child has Ewing sarcoma, you want care from experienced experts. You can trust our multidisciplinary team to deliver research-backed treatment recommendations based on leading science.
You can also expect support. Our center makes extensive resources available to you, including clinical psychologists and social workers who focus on easing your way through the care process.
Our specialists will sit down with you to explain your child’s diagnosis and treatment options in detail. We encourage you to reach out to us with questions or concerns at any time.
You might want to ask your doctor about:
- Additional testing, if any, that your child may need to pinpoint a diagnosis or treatment plan
- Cancer details, including the type of Ewing sarcoma and whether it has spread
- Treatment options, including how surgery or chemotherapy could affect your child’s life, now or in the future
- Potential treatment side effects and how we keep children of all ages safe and comfortable at our dedicated inpatient chemotherapy unit
- Support services, including how we coordinate with schools to help balance homework during treatment as well as fertility preservation options
Types
There are multiple types of Ewing sarcoma. Doctors classify the type of Ewing sarcoma based on the type of cells where cancer first develops:
- Ewing sarcoma of bone tumors: Tumors grow inside bone tissue. They often develop in the thighbone but sometimes in other areas, such as the pelvis or rib bones. This is the most common type of Ewing sarcoma.
- Extraosseous Ewing tumors: Also called extraskeletal tumors, these less common tumors develop in soft tissues around bones, such as cartilage.
- Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PPNETs): These very rare cancers can grow in nerve tissues throughout the body.
Researchers believe genetic changes (abnormalities) that happen after birth may play a role in causing all types of Ewing sarcoma.
Read about other bone cancers our specialists treat, including osteosarcoma.