The term comes from a Greek word meaning "fleshy growth." Bone tumors (osteosarcomas) are also called sarcomas, but are in a separate category because they have different clinical and microscopic characteristics and are treated differently. Osteogenic sarcoma or osteosarcoma is one of the most common childhood bone cancers. Soft tissue sarcomas are more common in adults than in children. In all, sarcomas constitute less than 1% of all cancers. Its treatment is made more difficult with the existence of more than 70 varieties. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) is the most common form of sarcoma, with approximately 3000-3500 cases per year in the United States.

Individuals and businesses purchase insurance policies to protect against monetary losses. In the event of a loss, policyholders submit claims, or requests for payment, seeking compensation for their loss. Adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators work primarily for property and casualty insurance companies, for whom they handle a wide variety of claims alleging property damage, liability, or bodily injury. Their main role is to investigate the claims, negotiate settlements, and authorize payments to claimants, all the while mindful not to violate the claimant’s rights under Federal and State privacy laws. They must determine whether the customer’s insurance policy covers the loss and how much of the loss should be paid to the claimant. Although many adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators have overlapping functions and may even perform the same job, the insurance industry generally assigns specific roles to each of these claims workers.