Soft tissue sarcomas

Abstract

Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of tumors that arise from any extraskeletal nonepithelial tissue, including adipose and fibrous tissues, as well as muscle, tendon, nerve, lymphatic, and vascular tissues. Hence, these neoplasms are heterogeneous in nature, and although they are generally classified histopathogically according to the tissue they most resemble, such classification is difficult (and in some cases impossible) because of the tendency of tumors to lose histologic differentiation [1]. The World Health Organization classification of tumors currently lists more than 50 different histopathologic subtypes of soft tissue sarcomas [2]. Soft tissue sarcomas are also rare. Of the more than 1.5 million cancers expected to be diagnosed in the USA in 2010, The American Cancer Society expects only 10,520 of them to be soft tissue sarcomas. Of the more than 500,000 expected cancer deaths, about 3,920 will be from this cancer [3]. The heterogeneity of these tumors poses both a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, especially in the setting of a rare disease.