Diagnostic triage for sarcoma: an effective model for reducing referrals to the sarcoma multidisciplinary team

Objective:Soft-tissue lesions are common and often benign. Owing to the rarity of soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs), evidence has shown that patients are increasingly referred urgently onto the 2-week wait pathway, which may have a detrimental impact on the management of patients with a proven STS. Imaging plays a vital role in lesion characterization and can be used to triage referrals to reduce the caseload of a sarcoma multidisciplinary team (MDT). In our institution, we established a sarcoma diagnostic triage meeting (SDTM). This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the SDTM in reducing non-sarcomatous referrals to the main sarcoma MDT.Methods:A retrospective review of the SDTM minutes from July 2011 to June 2012 was performed. Data collected for each case included details of referrer, referral modality and referral outcome.Results:165 cases were reviewed. 58% of referrals underwent a core biopsy or surgical excision with 85% benign pathology, the commonest being lipoma. 15% of referrals were sarco...