Pre-Operative Evaluation of Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Abstract

Soft Tissue Sarcoma (STS) is a group of heterogenous mesenchymal malignant neoplasms with variable clinical and biological behavior. Although most of the soft tissue tumors are benign in nature, a high degree of suspicion, based on clinical, radiological, cyto-histological and molecular studies, is required to diagnose STS early in its course. There are more than a hundred subtypes of STS reported in the literature. They have different prognostic implications, and often treated differently. In the last decade, owing to betterment of radiological and pathological reporting system, there has been a dramatic improvement in diagnosis and treatment of these tumors. This also led to overall improvement in awareness, and reduction in improper surgical treatment and delayed surgical referrals. However, a centralization of care is of pivotal importance for better management since STS is rare in general. The importance of multidisciplinary approach to the management of STS cannot be over emphasized. This should include a dedicated surgical team, in conjunction with radiology, pathology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, anesthesiology, physiotherapy, and nursing team. In the subsequent section we briefly discuss on the pre operative management of STS, focusing mostly on radiological and pathological evaluation.