The short answer
Carcinomas and sarcomas are named for the kind of tissue they start in. Carcinomas begin in epithelial cells that line and cover organs and skin, and they make up most cancers. Sarcomas begin in connective tissues such as bone, muscle, fat, and cartilage, and they are much rarer.
The names describe where the cancer begins: carcinomas in lining and covering cells, sarcomas in connective tissue.
Carcinomas are far more common and include most breast, lung, colon, prostate, and skin cancers.
Sarcomas are rare and start in tissues like bone, muscle, fat, blood vessels, and cartilage.
Because sarcomas are uncommon, they are often best treated at centers with sarcoma experience.
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The full explanation.
The short version
These two words describe where a cancer begins. Carcinomas start in epithelial cells. Those are the cells that line and cover organs, glands, and the skin. Sarcomas start in connective tissues: bone, muscle, fat, blood vessels, and cartilage. Carcinomas are far more common, and sarcomas are rare. Knowing the type helps your team choose the right tests and treatments.
What a carcinoma is
Most cancers are carcinomas. Epithelial cells form the surfaces and linings all through the body. So cancers that begin there are very common. Familiar examples include most breast, lung, colon, prostate, and skin cancers. Carcinomas also have subtypes, based on the exact cells involved. Your pathology report may name one.
What a sarcoma is
Sarcomas begin in the body's supporting, connecting tissues, not in linings. That includes bone, which gives bone sarcomas. It also includes soft tissues like muscle, fat, and blood vessels, which give soft tissue sarcomas. Sarcomas are much less common than carcinomas. They can start in nearly any part of the body, since connective tissue is everywhere.
Does one behave worse than the other?
Not as a rule. Both range from slow-growing to aggressive. What decides that is the specific type, its grade, and its stage. Grade is how abnormal the cells look. Stage is how far the cancer has spread. What matters most is your individual diagnosis, not the broad category. Your team can explain what your specific type means.
Why sarcomas often go to specialized centers
Sarcomas are uncommon, so many doctors see very few of them. They are also hard to treat, and doing it well takes both experience and expertise. Studies have found that people with sarcoma tend to do better when treated at cancer centers with sarcoma experience. That is why people with a suspected or confirmed sarcoma are often referred to one. Tissue samples should also be reviewed by a pathologist who is experienced with sarcoma.
How doctors tell them apart
A pathologist examines a tissue sample under a microscope. They may run special tests to identify the cell type and where the tumor started. That is how a cancer is classified as a carcinoma, a sarcoma, or another type. That classification guides the whole treatment plan. Good questions for your team: What tissue did my cancer start in? Is a specialized center recommended? What do my grade and stage mean?
Sources
Words to know
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Common questions
What is the difference between a carcinoma and a sarcoma?
It comes down to the tissue where the cancer starts. Carcinomas begin in epithelial cells, which line and cover organs and skin. Sarcomas begin in connective tissues such as bone, muscle, fat, and cartilage. Carcinomas are much more common than sarcomas.
Is a sarcoma more serious than a carcinoma?
Not automatically. Both range from slow-growing to aggressive depending on the specific type, grade, and stage. What matters most is the individual diagnosis, not simply the category. Your care team can explain what your specific type means.
Why are sarcomas treated at special centers?
Sarcomas are rare, so many doctors see few of them. Centers that treat many sarcomas build extra experience in diagnosing and managing them, which is why referral to such a center is often recommended.
How do doctors tell them apart?
A pathologist examines a tissue sample under a microscope and may run special tests. The appearance of the cells and where the tumor started help identify whether it is a carcinoma, a sarcoma, or another type.
Questions to ask your doctor
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Last updated: 2026-08-11Next planned review: 2028-07-14
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes. We do not employ clinicians and do not intend to — our work is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and checked line by line against the sources listed on it. That confirms the sources support what the page says. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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