Bay Biosciences provides FFPE biopsy tumor tissue bio-specimens, with matched sera (serum), plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) samples from patients diagnosed with Sarcoma.

Moreover, the serum, plasma and PBMCs are processed from patient’s peripheral whole-blood using customized collection and processing protocols.

Furthermore, the biopsy tumor tissue samples and bio-fluids are collected from unique patients diagnosed with sarcoma cancer and are provided to a valued pharmaceutical customer for research, diagnostics, discovery and drug development.

In addition detailed clinical annotations associated with sarcoma specimens is provided to a valued customer for research, development and drug discovery.

Sarcoma Overview

Sarcoma is a type of cancer that can occur in various locations in your body. Specifically, sarcoma is the general term for a broad group of cancers that begin in the bones and in the soft (also called connective) tissues (soft tissue sarcoma).

In particular, soft tissue sarcoma forms in the tissues that connect, support and surround other body structures. This includes, for example, muscle, fat, blood vessels, nerves, tendons, and the lining of the joints.

Moreover, there are more than 70 types of sarcoma. Consequently, treatment for sarcoma varies depending on sarcoma type, location, and other factors.

Furthermore, sarcomas can start in any part of the body, such as the bone or soft tissue.

For instance, 60% begin in an arm or leg, while 30% start in the torso or abdomen, and 10% occur in the head or neck.

Additionally, both children and adults can develop a sarcoma; however, sarcoma is rare in adults, accounting for about 1% of all adult cancers. In contrast, sarcomas represent about 15% of all childhood cancers.

Soft-tissue Sarcoma

Now, soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) is a group of cancers that begin in the connective tissues that support and connect the body, including:

  • First, blood vessels
  • Second, fat cells
  • Moreover, lining of joints
  • Furthermore, lymph vessels
  • Next, muscle
  • Likewise, nerves
  • Lastly, tendons

As a result, soft tissue sarcoma (STS) can occur almost anywhere in the body. Initially, when a soft tissue sarcoma (STS) begins and is small, it can go unnoticed because it usually does not cause problems, such as pain. Nevertheless, as soft tissue sarcoma (STS) grows, it can interfere with the body’s normal functions.

Furthermore, not all sarcomas are the same. Specifically, because there are more than seventy different types of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and each has a different natural history, meaning where they start, how they affect the body, how fast they grow, and how they respond to treatment, it is more accurate to describe them as a family of related diseases rather than as a single disease.

In addition, specific types of sarcoma are often named according to the normal tissue cells they most closely resemble, as listed below. Conversely, this is different from most other types of cancer, which usually are named for the part of the body where the cancer began.

Moreover, some sarcomas do not look like any type of normal tissue and are thought to come from stem cells or other primitive cells. Ultimately, stem cells are special cells that can mature into specific tissues or organs.

Types

Following are the several common types of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and related connective tissue tumors:

  • Angiosarcoma: Angiosarcoma is a rare type of cancer that forms in the lining of the blood vessels and lymph vessels. 
  • Chondrosarcoma: Chondrosarcoma is a rare type of cancer  that usually begins in the bones, but can sometimes can also develop in the soft tissue near bones. 
  • Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a very rare type of skin cancer that begins in connective tissue cells in the middle layer of your skin (dermis). 
  • Desmoplastic: Desmoplastic small round cell tumors are a type of soft tissue cancer that typically begins in the abdomen. 
  • Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare, slow-growing type of soft tissue cancer. Most cases begin in the soft tissue under the skin of a finger, hand, forearm, lower leg or foot, though it can start in other areas of the body.
  • Ewing sarcoma: Ewing’s sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that occurs in bones or in the soft tissue around the bones.
  • Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs): Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST’s) are soft tissue sarcomas that can be located in any part of the digestive system. 
  • Kaposi’s sarcoma: Kaposi’s sarcoma is a type of  cancer that forms in the lining of blood and lymph vessels. 
  • Leiomyosarcoma: Leiomyosarcoma is a rare type of cancer that affects smooth muscle tissue. These tumors are most common in the abdomen, but can occur anywhere in the body, including the uterus. 

Additional Types

  • Liposarcoma: Liposarcoma is a rare type of cancer that begins in the fat cells. Liposarcoma is considered a type of soft tissue sarcoma. Liposarcoma can occur in fat cells in any part of the body, but most cases occur in the muscles of the limbs or in the abdomen. 
  • Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors: Malignanat peripheral nerve sheath tumors are a rare type of cancer that occurs in the lining of the nerves that extend from the spinal cord into the body. 
  • Myxofibrosarcoma (MFS): Myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) is a type of cancer that typically appears as a slow-growing, painless lump on one of your legs or arms. 
  • Osteosarcoma: Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that begins in the cells that form bones. Osteosarcoma is most often found in the long bones more often the legs, but sometimes the arms, but it can start in any bone. 
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a rare type of cancer that forms in soft tissue specifically skeletal muscle tissue or sometimes hollow organs such as the bladder or uterus.
  • Soft tissue sarcoma: Soft tissue sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that begins in the tissues that connect, support and surround other body structures. 
  • Solitary fibrous tumors: Solitary fibrous tumors are rare growths of soft tissue cells that can form nearly anywhere in the body. 
  • Synovial sarcoma: Synovial sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that tends to arise near large joints, particularly the knee, in young adults. 
  • Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is a rare type of cancer that begins mostly in the soft tissues of the body. Soft tissues connect, support and surround other body structures. 

Pathology

When a tumor is found and the doctor believes it could be sarcoma, it is important to find out the type of sarcoma as part of the diagnosis process. Moreover, because there are so many different types of sarcomas, it is best if an expert pathologist who specializes in sarcoma examines the tumor tissue sample.

A pathologist is a doctor who uses a microscope to look at the tumor specimen to make the diagnosis. In particular, the pathologist will look under the microscope to see the size and shape, called morphology, of the tumor cells and do special stains, called immunohistochemistry, to determine what type of sarcoma it is. This is called the histology.

In some cases, they need more information, and additional genetic tests are performed, which takes longer for the results to come back. Consequently, pathologists are looking for new ways to quickly determine a tumor’s type because this helps the health care team decide on the treatment plan faster.

Furthermore, pathologists also describe a sarcoma by its “grade,” which describes how closely cancer cells look or don’t look like healthy cells when viewed under a microscope.”

A higher-grade tumor has cells that look more abnormal and are potentially more aggressive. Consequently, the grade can help the doctor predict how quickly the sarcoma will grow and spread. In general, the lower the tumor’s grade, the less the likelihood it will recur and/or grow. Therefore, a pathologist with expertise in sarcomas should be involved when sarcoma is suspected.

Signs and Symptoms of Sarcoma

Following are the signs and symptoms of sarcoma:

  • A lump that can be felt through the skin that may or may not be painful
  • Bone pain
  • A broken bone that happens unexpectedly, such as with a minor injury or no injury at all
  • Abdominal pain
  • Weight loss

Causes of Sarcoma

Although the exact causes of sarcomas are unknown, it is important to note that, in general, cancer forms when changes (mutations) happen in the DNA within cells. Specifically, the DNA inside a cell is packaged into a large number of individual genes, each of which contains a set of instructions telling the cell what functions to perform, as well as how to grow and divide.

Furthermore, mutations might tell cells to grow and divide uncontrollably and to continue living when normal cells would die. As a result, if this happens, the accumulating abnormal cells can form a tumor.

Consequently, cells can break away and spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.

Risk factors of Sarcoma

Following are the risk factors that can increase the risk of developing sarcoma:
  • Inherited syndromes: Some syndromes that increase the risk of cancer can be passed from parents to children. Examples of syndromes that increase the risk of sarcoma include familial retinoblastoma and neurofibromatosis type 1.
  • Radiation therapy for cancer: Radiation treatment for cancer increases the risk of developing a sarcoma later.
  • Chronic swelling (lymphedema). Lymphedema is swelling caused by a backup of lymph fluid that occurs when the lymphatic system is blocked or damaged. It increases the risk of a type of sarcoma called angiosarcoma.
  • Exposure to chemicals. Certain chemicals, such as some industrial chemicals and herbicides, can increase the risk of sarcoma that affects the liver.
  • Exposure to viruses. The virus called human herpesvirus 8 can increase the risk of a type of sarcoma called Kaposi’s sarcoma in people with weakened immune systems.

Biospecimens

biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Moreover, human biospecimens are available including tumor tissue, serum, plasma and PBMC samples from most other therapeutic areas.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and likewise normal healthy donors for controls. Additionally, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human biofluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.