[New data on the molecular biology of soft tissue sarcoma]

Sarcoma consists in a group of rare malignant tumours of mesenchymal origin characterized by their vast clinical, pathological and biological heterogeneity. The pathological diagnosis of sarcoma relies classically of the differentiation features of tumour cells, with dozens of different tumour subtypes described in the last international classifications. Over the last decades, the advances in the development of new techniques of molecular biology have led to a major complexification of sarcoma classification, with the identification of multiple and specific molecular alterations that have led to significant changes for patients diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic management. This review aims at giving an overview on the current knowledge of the molecular biology of soft tissue sarcoma, and emphasizes on their consequences for the daily management of patients.