What increases my risk of sarcoma?

What increases my risk of sarcoma?

The causes of most sarcomas are unknown. Risk factors that can increase your chance of developing sarcoma include:

Inherited conditions: If you had retinoblastoma (an eye cancer) as a child or neurofibromatosis type 1 (a condition that causes the growth of benign and malignant tumours) you may have an increased risk of developing sarcoma.
Previous radiotherapy: If you have had previous radiotherapy, you might have a higher risk. Very rarely, a sarcoma might develop many years after treatment.

Note: Accurate data about the actual diagnosed number of cases of sarcoma is hard to find. This is because cancer is reported as the area of the body where the cancer is found (site of origin). Sarcomas can appear almost anywhere on or in the body and many are only found after investigations for a condition which seems unconnected with cancer.