title: Soft Tissue Tumors in Adults: ESSR-Approved Guidelines for Diagnostic Imaging.
abstract: Soft tissue sarcomas are rare, but early, accurate diagnosis with subsequent appropriate treatment is crucial for the clinical outcome. The ESSR guidelines are intended to help radiologists in their decision-making and support discussion among clinicians who deal with patients with suspected or proven soft tissue tumors. Potentially malignant lesions recognized by ultrasound should be referred for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which also serves as a preoperative local staging modality, with specific technical requirements and mandatory radiological report elements. Radiography may add information about matrix calcification and osseous involvement. Indeterminate lesions, or lesions in which therapy is dependent on histology results, should be biopsied. For biopsy, we strongly recommend referral to a specialist sarcoma center, where an interdisciplinary tumor group, with a specialized pathologist, radiologist, and the surgeon are involved. In sarcoma, a CT scan of the chest is mandatory. Additional staging modalities are entity-specific. There are no evidence-based recommendations for routine follow-up in surgically treated sarcomas. However, we would recommend regular follow-up with intervals dependent on tumor grade, for 10 years after the initial diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Iris M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Noebauer-Huhmann
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg Im Neuenheimer Feld, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Marc-André
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Radhesh K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Lalam
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trattnig
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bohndorf
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, General Hospital Sint-Maarten, Duffel-Mechelen, Universities of Antwerp and Ghent, Duffel, Belgium.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vanhoenacker
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine -DIMES-, Institute of Anatomy, University of Genova, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tagliafico
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Rijswijk
authors.affiliation: Clínica Girona, Institut Catalan of Health-IDI, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Vilanova
authors.affiliation: Hospital Beatriz Angelo, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: P Diana
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Afonso
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Surgery, Radiology, Landesklinikum Horn, Horn, Austria.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Breitenseher
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beggs
authors.affiliation: Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zuwe Hofpoort Hospital, Woerden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Milko C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: de Jonge
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image Guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Krestan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bloem
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012955:Societies, Medical; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D014463:Ultrasonography