Soft Tissue Tumours

Dr Shaw treats most soft tissue lumps, bumps and soft tissue tumours.

Skin cysts (epidermoid cysts, sebaceous cysts) are sac-like lesions that can be removed for cosmetic reasons, or to prevent becoming infected.

The most common soft tissue tumour is a lipoma which is a benign overgrowth of normal fat cells. Most lipomas are harmless and can be diagnosed on clinical examination. The best treatment, if needed for pain, cosmetic reasons, or to confirm the diagnosis, is complete excision. Some simple ones can be excised in rooms, but sometimes patients with multiple or larger lipomas are best done in hospital.

What bumps and lumps are concerning?

Lumps that appear to be consistent with a lipoma but have any of the following features: greater than 5cm in size, growing, lying deep to the fascia, or intra-muscular should be imaged with ultrasound and/or MRI scanning. If there are any suspicious features or concerns, you should see a specialist with experience in treating soft tissue tumours. Dr Shaw has experience dealing with many advanced soft tissue tumours.

Do I need a biopsy?

Sometimes a fine needle aspiration or core biopsy under ultrasound imaging will be recommended prior to surgery. The biopsy is sent to the lab for complete analysis and special staining to try to establish a tissue diagnosis prior to the excision.

What is a sarcoma?

Sarcomas are rare malignant tumours that can develop from any of the connective tissues of the body. There are lots of different subtypes of soft tissue sarcomas and each has unique tumour biology and behaviour. Sarcomas are best dealt with by a multi-disciplinary team that treats these rare tumours.

Surgery for sarcomas is more aggressive than for benign tumours in an effort to ensure complete excision. This may involve removing muscle around the sarcoma.