Soft tissue tumour surgery

This is surgery to remove an abnormal growth in your body. It can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). A cancerous soft tissue mass is called a sarcoma.
If the lump is benign, it can be left alone or removed. Depending on the size and location of the lump, the procedure can be performed under local or general anaesthesia.
Sarcomas are rare tumours that can be found on the skin, fat, muscles, nerves, tendons, bone, blood and lymph vessels. There are more than 50 different subtypes of sarcomas. Depending on type, their behaviour, management and treatment outcomes differ significantly.
Patients with a soft tissue sarcoma are best treated in a specialist hospital by a team of experts with a dedicated interest in the management of the disease.
The main types of treatment for soft tissue sarcomas are:

• Surgery
• Radiation
• Chemotherapy
• Target therapy

After a sarcoma is found and staged, your specialist will recommend one or several treatment options. In choosing a treatment plan, factors to consider include the type, location and stage of the cancer as well as you overall physical health.
Once the treatment has finished, continued follow up care may be required for up to 10 years after diagnosis. These will include clinical examinations and/or scans to monitor for recurrence or spread of cancer.