Whatpatientsandcaregiversneedtoknowabout cancer,coronavirus,andCOVID-19.CloseCriticalAlertBannerSearchVerenespañol|Downloadthistopic[PDF]Causes,RiskFactors,andPreventionRiskFactorsforSoftTissueSarcomasWhatCausesSoftTissueSarcomas?CanSoftTissueSarcomasBePrevented?CancerA-ZSoftTissueSarcomaCauses,RiskFactors,andPreventionWhatCausesSoftTissueSarcomas?Scientistsdon'tknowexactlywhatcausesmostsofttissuesarcomas,buttheyhavefoundsomeriskfactorsthatcanmakeapersonmorelikelytodevelopthesecancers.Andresearchhasshownthatsomeoftheseriskfactorsaffectthegenesincellsinthesofttissues.ResearchershavemadegreatprogressinunderstandinghowcertainchangesinDNA(piecesofgenes)cancausenormalcellstobecomecancer.DNAcarriestheinstructionsfornearlyeverythingourcellsdo.WeusuallylooklikeourparentsbecausetheyarethesourceofourDNA.ButDNAaffectsmorethanjustthewaywelook.TheDNAismadeofgenes.Genescarrytherecipesformakingproteins,themoleculesthatcontrolallcellfunctions.Somegenescontaininstructionsforproteinsthatcontrolwhenourcellsgrowanddivide.Certaingenesthatpromotecelldivisionarecalledoncogenes.Othersthatslowdowncelldivisionorcausecellstodieattherighttimearecalledtumorsuppressorgenes.CancerscanbecausedbyDNAmutations(defects)thatturnononcogenesorturnofftumorsuppressorgenes.ManyfamilycancersyndromeshavebeenfoundinwhichinheritedDNAmutationscauseaveryhighriskofdevelopingbreast,colon,kidney,eye,orothercancers.Someofthesesyndromesarealsolinkedtoanincreasedriskofdevelopingsofttissuesarcomas.(ThesesyndromeswerenotedinRiskFactorsforSoftTissueSarcomas)Thesyndromesarecausedbydefects(mutations)ingenesthatcanbeinherited(passedon)fromaparent.Someofthesegenedefectscanbefoundthroughtesting.Formoreonthis,seeFamilyCancerSyndromesandGeneticsandCancer.DNAmutationsinsofttissuesarcomaarecommon.Butthey'reusuallyacquiredduringliferatherthanhavingbeeninheritedbeforebirth.Acquiredmutationsmayresultfromexposuretoradiationorcancer-causingchemicals.Inmostsarcomas,theyoccurfornoapparentreason.Researchersstilldon'tknowwhymostsofttissues