Year-long elbow pain reveals rare tissue cancer in 3-year-old

Noida: A three-year-old child from Bulandshahr has been diagnosed with epithelioid sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of soft tissue cancer accounting for less than 1% of such tumours.According to the family, the swelling first appeared about a year ago and gradually became more painful, prompting medical evaluation when the child's mobility began to decline. The child was taken to Fortis in Greater Noida in Sept, and treatment continued for six months. Diagnostic testing confirmed the presence of a tumour involving the elbow joint. Further scans revealed early spread to the lungs, which ruled out immediate surgery as a safe first option.
A consultant of medical oncology at the hospital, Dr Prabhat Ranjan, said, "Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare and aggressive soft tissue tumour that accounts for less than 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas. It is particularly uncommon in children of this age. In this case, the tumour involved the elbow joint and already showed early spread to the lungs, making surgery difficult. Early identification and timely chemotherapy were critical in bringing the disease under control and providing meaningful symptomatic relief. The child is doing well at present." The child is currently under follow-up care and is said to be tolerating treatment well. "Prolonged swelling, persistent pain, or unexplained physical changes in children should be evaluated early, as soft tissue tumours, though rare, can progress quietly. Timely diagnosis and intervention, they emphasise, remain central to improving recovery prospects in paediatric cancer cases," the doctor added.