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. 2016Hayes et al. 2025. Preoperative diagnostics are crucial for the typing and management of these sarcomas Kirchberg et al. 2022.