What is the difference between a carcinoma and a sarcoma?
Mostcancers(>90%) arise from “epithelial” tissues, such as the inside lining of the colon, breast, lung or prostate. These are referred to as carcinomas and usually affect older people. Sarcomas are tumors that arise from “mesenchymal” tissues such as bone, muscle, connective tissue, cartilage and fat. Sarcomas occur in young people as well as in adults and comprise less than 1% of all cancers. Sarcomas are named by the tissue of origin, for example “osteosarcoma” arises from bone, “liposarcoma” arises from fat and “chondrosarcoma” arises from cartilage.
