Males and Females are overall equally affected by Sarcomas. In contrast to childhood cases, the least common area for adult sarcomas is in the Head and Neck area. In adults, the most common type is now Fibrosarcoma or the closely related Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma , which tends to occur in the trunk or extremities. As with every cancer, the precise reason why one person gets a Sarcoma and another does not remains unknown . This is particularly true for Chondrosarcoma, which often arises with no preceding risks identified.
Some chemicals have the ability to get into cells and damage their DNA, leading to disease.
The chemical may kill cells, leading to an increase in production of new ones, but some cells may not be killed only injured. These cells often try hard to repair themselves, but may try to divide before succeeding with complete repair. The more often damaged cells try to divide, the higher the chance for a cancer to arise. Some chemicals shown to raise the risk for cancer in general, and sarcomas in particular, include Dioxin, Polyvinyl Chloride, Arsenic, Benzene, and Thorium. The most common type of cancers arising from prior radiation treatment are sarcomas.