Sarcoma Red Flag Awareness Remains Low
74% of survey respondents would skip medical attention
According to a study featured in an August 2024 article in the Journal of Cancer Education, general sarcoma awareness remains low, even among those with advanced degrees and health care experience.1
Participants responded to survey questions designed to test their knowledge of sarcoma cancer. They were also asked what actions they would take if they discovered a painful or nonpainful mass, a common symptom of sarcoma that is often referred to as a red flag.1 Certain “red flag” symptoms, if they meet certain criteria, would justify an urgent specialty referral according to the article.1
Participants were recruited at the Minnesota State Fair in 2015 and again in 2022. Most lived within the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and 60% reported having a college degree.
| 2015 | 2022 | Total | |
| Participants | 1491 | 633 | 2124 |
As noted in the study, sarcoma cancers are “commonly misdiagnosed as benign masses and, unfortunately, diagnostic and treatment delays can negatively impact patient outcomes.”
Participants’ answers, however, indicate that few would recognize a symptom or seek medical attention for it.
Key findings
Most participants said they would wait until they experience pain before seeking medical assistance, and 77% said they would first contact a family medicine physician or primary care provider.
Of concern, those with a health care background scored an average of only 55% correct responses.
So, not only are people likely to be slow to act should they notice a symptom – but their health care provider may not associate the symptom with sarcoma. The results underscore a need to increase awareness of sarcoma cancer symptoms among both the general public and health care providers.
In response to discovering a non-painful mass:
- 26% said they would make an appointment as soon as possible. (74% would not.)
- 5% said they would never seek evaluation for a non-painful mass.
If dealing with a painful mass:
- 50% said they would make an appointment as soon as possible.
- 1% said they would never seek evaluation for a painful mass.
Provider type they’d see:
- 77% said they’d go to a family medicine physician first for either a painful or non-painful mass.
- 10% would see an advanced practice provider.
- 9% would see an internist.
Awareness:
- 67% correctly identified sarcoma as a form of cancer.
- 50% correctly responded that any age group can be affected by sarcoma/
- 49% were aware that sarcoma can affect multiple body sites such as head, neck, trunk, internal organs, arms and legs.
- 48% correctly identified multiple possible symptoms.
- 34% correctly responded that sarcoma can affect multiple tissue types such as bone, muscle, cartilage, fat, nerves, or blood vessels.
Delays in diagnosis continue to be a problem
The article went on to explain that, “Individuals diagnosed with sarcoma often face delayed diagnosis, unplanned procedure burden, and poor outcomes in advanced disease. Although most patients consulting a doctor for a soft tissue mass will end up having a benign lesion, it is important for all providers to be able to recognize the “red flags” of sarcoma to alleviate any avoidable health burden to the patient.”
1Fride N, Nachbor KM, Nelson AT, Snook K, Shaker RM, Mavrommatis S, Seaver CD, Semanko L, Bedi M, Keeler E, Dusenbery KE, Retzlaff AA. Assessing Sarcoma Awareness Among the General Population in Minnesota: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study from the Minnesota State Fair in 2015 and 2022. J Cancer Educ. 2024 Aug 19. doi: 10.1007/s13187-024-02485-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39158629.