How should imaging be approached in a patient with a suspected soft tissue sarcoma, and what modalities are recommended?

When a soft tissue sarcoma is suspected in adults, an initial ultrasound scan is a recommended approach [1. 11. 5]. If the ultrasound suggests a soft tissue sarcoma, or if the results are uncertain but clinical concern persists, a suspected cancer pathway referral should be considered [1. 11. 5].

Following such a referral, the management of soft tissue sarcomas, including further imaging, would typically follow comprehensive UK guidelines (Dangoor et al., 2016; Hayes et al., 2025). Preoperative diagnostics are crucial for the typing and management of these sarcomas (Kirchberg et al., 2022).