Soft Tissue Tumors

Soft tissue tumors are significantly more common than bone tumors. They can develop anywhere in muscles, between muscles, in tendons, in ligaments, in nerves, and in blood vessels. Soft tissue tumors are divided into two major groups: benign and malignant tumors.

Benign Tumors

The vast majority of benign tumors do not metastasize, but some may have an aggressive growth pattern. The most common types are lipomas, angiolipomas, fibromas, benign fibrocystic tumors, neurofibromas, schwannomas, hemangiomas, giant cell tumors of the tendon sheath, and myxomas. The most common is a lipoma—a soft, slow-growing, painless fatty tissue mass under the skin. If a lipoma grows rapidly and causes pain, the patient must be thoroughly examined, as a malignant process is possible. The primary diagnostic method is ultrasound, supplemented by CT or MRI; the diagnosis is confirmed by histology. Treatment is surgical—the tumor is excised.

Malignant soft tissue tumors

Malignant soft tissue tumors (sarcomas) are very rare—accounting for approximately 1% of all malignant tumors. More than 50 types of sarcomas have been described; they are most commonly diagnosed in the arms, legs, and abdominal cavity. In the early stages, there are usually no symptoms. Diagnosis involves X-rays, ultrasound, CT, MRI, PET, and biopsy—biopsy is the most important method. The primary treatment is surgical, using compartment surgery (removal of the tumor within the boundaries of an entire anatomical segment). Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are used as adjunctive treatments.

At the Latvian Microsurgery Center, patients can undergo microsurgical excision of tumors under optical magnification, including examination of the resection margins, as well as reconstructive and plastic surgery.