Soft tissue tumors can arise in almost any place on the body, and can be noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Typically, your oncologist will want to proceed with a minimally invasive biopsy - like a needle biopsy - to determine if the tumor is cancerous.

During the biopsy, your doctor will acquire a sample of the tissue and examine the cells under a microscope. If the cells are malignant, the tumor is referred to as a sarcoma. Knowing the cancer type and growth rate will help your physician develop a personalized treatment program for you.

Soft Tumor Tissue Diagnosis

The most important part of any cancer diagnosis begins with understanding the location of the tumor, how it is growing and structures it might be hurting by its growth. With soft tissue tumors, imaging is critical to establishing the right diagnosis, so the treatment is appropriate for both the cancer and the patient.

If you already have imaging, our doctors will read it the same day as your clinic appointment. We may also order additional testing, including:

  • X-rays
  • MRI
  • CT

All of these tests have advantages in terms of visualizing the tumor and making decisions about the best course of treatment.

Soft Tumor Treatment Options

At Wake Forest Baptist, a team of cancer specialists will work together with you to provide the most advanced personalized treatment available.

Once you have diagnostic imaging and biopsies complete, one of our oncologists will discuss a treatment plan with you. Typically, the treatment for these types of tumors is surgery and perhaps chemotherapy.

Our physicians are known as experts in removing tumors and performing reconstruction. Part of our expertise extends to limb sparing surgery and we perform this surgery when possible.

Some of our additional surgical techniques include:

  • Resection of tumors
  • Reconstruction
  • Latest and state of the art allografts
  • Limb resection techniques

Because of our multidisciplinary approach to treatment for all cancers, Wake Forest Baptist has been designated by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 41 in the country.