sarcoma

noun sar·co·ma \ sär-ˈkō-mə \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Definition of sarcoma

plural sarcomas also sarcomata play \sär-ˈkō-mə-tə\

: a malignant tumor arising in tissue (such as connective tissue, bone, cartilage, or striated muscle) of mesodermal origin

—

sarcomatous

play \sär-ˈkō-mə-təs\ adjective

Recent Examples of sarcoma from the Web

Doctors discovered synovial sarcoma in his left lung.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "Dying Florida teen gets his wish: She said ‘yes’ to a Sunday wedding," 27 Jan. 2018
Thomas, who has a rare form of cancer known as a sarcoma, had 11 surgeries in the last three years at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago which had a C rating from Leapfrog.

— jayne o'donnell, USA TODAY, "Trump administration rule would stop public reporting of hospital infections despite mounting death toll," 19 June 2018
Methotrexate, in addition to its key role in treating leukemia, is incorporated in treatment protocols for everything from sarcoma to certain lymphomas to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "We Are Scientists," 5 June 2018
Soft tissue sarcomas are challenging to treat in dogs and humans.

— amy sutherland, BostonGlobe.com, "An experimental cancer treatment cured this dog. Could it work for people?," 16 May 2018
The New York Times reports on Kaposi’s sarcoma, a rare cancer that has mysteriously surfaced in 41 gay men.

— jennifer conrad, New York Times, "What Happened in New York Between 1981 and 1983," 17 Apr. 2018
Daisy’s Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone cancer that mostly affects children, had returned.

— allison klein, Washington Post, "‘Daisies for Daisy’: 11-year-old battling cancer is showered with birthday gifts from strangers," 16 Apr. 2018
Crump shows off a different side of his personality with his agile quartet Rhombal, which formed as a response to the death of his brother, Patrick, from an aggressive sarcoma.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Bassist Stephan Crump ushers a muscular grace into the music of his limber quartet Rhombal," 12 Apr. 2018
Chapman was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer and will have chemotherapy and other treatments over the next year.

— george sipple, Detroit Free Press, "5 reasons to root for Notre Dame despite its win over Michigan hockey," 6 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sarcoma.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sarcoma

borrowed from New Latin sarcōmat-, sarcōma "fleshy excrescence, tumor," borrowed from Greek sárkōma "fleshy excrescence," from sarkō-, stem of sarkoûn "to make fleshy, (middle voice) to become fleshy" (verbal derivative of sark-, sárx "flesh, piece of meat") + -ma, resultative noun suffix — more at sarco-

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1804

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

sarcoma

noun sar·co·ma \ sär-ˈkō-mə \

medical Definition of sarcoma

plural sarcomas also sarcomata play \-mət-ə\

: a malignant tumor arising in tissue of mesodermal origin (as connective tissue, bone, cartilage, or striated muscle) that spreads by extension into neighboring tissue or by way of the bloodstream — compare carcinoma