Sarcoma or Haematoma? If Only It Were That Simple! Catharine Berry, University Hospitals Leicester
Sarcoma or haematoma? If only it were that simple!
By, Catharine Berry 1 . Mark Charnock 2 . University Hospitals Leicester (UHL). Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. East Midlands Sarcoma Service.
Introduction
Soft tissue (ST) masses of the trunk and extremity are common, and most are benign with sarcoma accounting for 1% of adult cancers with a 5-year survival rate of 53%. Ultrasound (US) is an excellent first line test for the evaluation of ST masses, and findings play an important role in aiding the diagnosis of both benign and malignant lesions; however, differentiating between soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and soft tissue haematoma (STH) with US can be challenging, as appearances can be variable; they have similar imaging characteristics and clinical symptoms, and both can increase in size slowly. 1 Delayed diagnosis and errors in the early management of sarcoma will lead to poor outcomes, including amputation and death, as even low-grade sarcoma can metastasise.