Musculoskeletal Soft-Tissue Sarcoma: Quality Assessment of Initial MRI Reports Shows Frequent Deviation from ESSR Guidelines

Abstract

Soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) are a rare subtype of soft-tissue mass and are frequently misinterpreted as benign lesions. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the primary recommended type of diagnostics. To assess the quality of primary radiology reports, we investigated whether recommended MRI report elements were included in compliance with European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) guidelines. A total of 1107 patients were evaluated retrospectively, and 126 radiological reports on patients with malignant STS were assessed for ESSR quality criteria. One or more required sequences or planes were missing in 67% of the reports. In all 126 cases, the report recognized the mass as anomalous (100%). Sixty-eight percent of the reports mentioned signs of malignancy. The majority of reports (n = 109, 87%) articulated a suspected diagnosis, 32 of which showed a mismatch with the final diagnosis (25%). Thirty-two percent of the reports had a misinterpretation of the masses as benign. Benign misinterpretations were more common in masses smaller than 5 cm (65% vs. 27%). Thirty percent of the reports suggested tissue biopsy and 6% recommended referral to a sarcoma center. MRI reports showed frequent deviations from ESSR guidelines, and protocol guidelines were not routinely met. Deviations from standard protocol and reporting guidelines could put patients at risk for inadequate therapy.