Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who left for the US for medical treatment, has been diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma, a rare type of cancer.

It was initially believed that the Finance Minister went for a medical check-up related to his kidney ailment but according to sources, he is being treated for soft tissue sarcoma that has appeared in his thigh, which can spread to other parts at a faster pace.

Jaitley has been a diabetic for many years and he had undergone bariatric surgery a few years back. After being on dialysis for a few months, he had a kidney transplant in May 2018, at AIIMS.

Sources reveal that doctors are weighing in the options for surgery, however, it depends on the pre-existing complications he suffered due to a kidney transplant.  

 What Is Soft Tissue Sarcoma?

Soft tissue sarcoma or tumours are of many types and all of them may not be cancerous. Benign tumours (non-cancerous) are commonly found in soft tissues and they don’t spread to other parts of the body. However, soft tissue sarcoma means a malignant cancer that spreads to other parts of the body quickly. It starts in tissues around bones or muscles and can be found in various body components like fat, muscles, nerves, fibrous tissues, blood vessels or deep skin.

Though soft tissue sarcoma can be found in any part of the body, it starts in arms, legs and can later spread to trunk, head, neck, affecting internal organs, abdominal cavities.

Since, sarcomas are not like regular tumours, American Cancer Society recommends surgery as the only form of cure while dealing with this condition.

Doctors may also recommend shrinking the size of tumour with radiation therapy in the initial stages. However, at later stages doctors opt for a surgery to remove entire tumour to stop it from spreading to the lymph nodes around the affected region.

This sarcoma can be recurrent in few patients and is aggressively treated with both chemo and radiation therapies to stop it from spreading to other regions.

-IANS