Soft-tissue sarcomas: Overview of management, with a focus on surgical treatment considerations

Patients with soft-tissue sarcomas generally present with a mass that is increasing in size; the presence or absence of pain is not typically predictive of malignancy. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can identify a few soft-tissue lesion types as benign, diagnosis of most lesions requires a careful biopsy, preferably performed by or in consultation with the surgeon who would do an eventual resection. If biopsy confirms a diagnosis of sarcoma, MRI-guided surgical resection with a wide margin is the mainstay of treatment. Neoadjuvant radiation therapy and chemotherapy have not been of proven benefit in well-controlled studies but are frequently used as adjuncts. Resections with wide margins are generally associated with a low (< 10%) risk of recurrence.