Grading and Tissue-Specific Diagnosis

This chapter provides an overview of the value of imaging in grading and tissue-specific diagnosis of soft tissue tumors (STT). While tissue-specific diagnosis implies pathological typing, grading implies differentiation between benign and malignant tumors and definition of malignancy grade. Some (mostly benign) lesions are characteristic on imaging. On the other hand, prediction of tissue-specific diagnosis of malignant lesions based on imaging is far less accurate and often impossible. The best results in grading and tissue-specific diagnosis are obtained by a combination of multiple nonimaging and imaging parameters. Compared to other imaging methods, MRI is the most useful imaging technique. Indeterminate lesions on imaging should be referred for further biopsy.