Soft tissue tumors, which are also called soft tissue masses, can be found anywhere in the body. They occur in the body’s soft tissues, such as blood vessels, ligaments, tendons, or muscles. Anyone can develop one of these tumors, and they can occur at any time in a person’s life. Here are 10 important things you need to know about soft tissue tumors.
1. What Is a Soft Tissue Mass?
You may be asking yourself, what is a soft tissue mass or tumor? A tumor in your soft tissue means that some fat, muscle, or other non-bone cells have multiplied in number more than they should have. Most of these begin in the fat cells. You have a layer of fat just under your three layers of skin. The fat is thicker in some places than in others. For example, the layer of fat is thicker on the thighs and upper arms than on the feet or hands. Some of these masses can be benign tumors of muscle. This is a growth of muscle cells that form a thickened area that may grow into the spaces occupied by other soft tissues that aren’t muscle. We offer treatments for soft tissue masses and skin lesions in Palm Beach County.
2. Anyone Can Get Tumors of the Soft Tissue
Adults are most likely to get tumors of the soft tissue. That’s because these tumors are slow-growing, so they take a long time to become noticeable. One type of soft tissue tumor, the hemangioma, is the most common type of tumor to occur in children. About one in 20 infants develop a hemangioma. Most of these tumors fade by the time a child is a few years old. Premature babies, girls, and babies that are twins, triplets, or other multiples are most likely to develop a hemangioma. For other types of tumors in soft tissues, the likelihood of developing one increases with age. About one in 1,000 adults have a lipoma, or a tumor made up of fat cells. Of those who get a lipoma, most only get one. Only about 20% of people who have a lipoma will develop more than one lipoma in their lifetime.
3. There Are Lots of Different Types of Tumors in Soft Tissue
Tumors are named after the part of the body or type of cell in which they grow. The lipoma that grows in fat cells, which we just discussed above, is one example. A neurofibroma is a tumor in a nerve. A hemangioma is a benign soft tissue tumor made up of a collection of blood vessels close to the surface of the skin. Some other types of tumors that grow in soft tissue include angiolipomas, fibromas, benign fibrous histiocytomas, myxomas, giant cell tumors of the tendon sheath, and neurilemmomas. Most tumors of the soft tissue are lipomas, and almost all of them cause no health risks other than discomfort.
4. Soft Tissue Tumor Symptoms
Most of the time, a soft tissue tumor won’t cause any symptoms. You’ll see the lump, or you might notice pressure if you push on it. Sometimes, the tumor grows close to a nerve. This may cause pain or a pins-and-needles sensation.
5. Causes of Tumors in Soft Tissue
Scientists don’t know what causes tumors to grow in soft tissue. Some genetic factors may play a role. For example, Werner syndrome and Li-Fraumeni syndrome increase your risk of a soft tissue tumor.
6. Most Are Benign
Most tumors of the soft tissue are benign. This means they’re not cancerous. Benign soft tissue tumors typically grow slowly. You may have had it for years, and only now is it large enough for you to feel. These benign soft tissue tumors aren’t dangerous to your health. There’s no risk of them invading nearby tissue or spreading to some other part of your body.
7. Some Are Cancerous
Some tumors of the soft tissue are malignant, or cancerous. That’s why it’s important to be seen by one of our physicians. Just looking at your skin may not be enough to tell the difference between a malignant or benign tumor of muscle, fat, or other soft tissue. If the soft tissue mass is cancerous, this is called a soft tissue sarcoma.
8. How Benign Soft Tissue Tumors Are Diagnosed
When you visit our doctor for a mass in your soft tissue, we palpate the area. The growth may be measured, which allows us to track its size over time. We may recommend an imaging study. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is the gold-standard we use for diagnosing benign and malignant tumors of soft tissue. The MRI study shows the size, depth and location of the mass. The information obtained from the MRI is also useful for performing a biopsy. The MRI report will include details about your tissue’s density. What does soft tissue density mean? Soft tissue density refers to how closely packed the cells of your tissues are. If your soft tissue, such as your breast, is dense, a biopsy will help determine if the tumor is cancerous or not.
A biopsy is a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the tumor. Some of the cells are collected. Those cells are sent to a pathologist in a hospital or clinical laboratory. The pathologist examines the cells under a microscope. Some of the cells may be added to a growth culture and grown in an incubator for several days. The pathologist uses laboratory technology to count the cells and determine their rate of growth. This allows the pathologist to identify malignant versus benign tumor cells.
9. Not All of These Tumors Need to Be Removed
Not all benign soft tissue tumors need to be removed. If a tumor is not causing you any pain, if it is not growing or is growing slowly, or if it’s not interfering with your other soft tissues or organs, watchful waiting may be an option for you. We may recommend regular checkups to measure the size of the tumor and keep track of your symptoms. If you notice an increase in its size or you develop new symptoms, such as pain, it’s important to schedule an appointment.
10. Minimally-Invasive Surgical Removal
If your soft tissue tumor or skin lesions are causing you pain, grow aggressively, or interfere with your mobility, range of motion, and/or bodily functions, you may need a surgical procedure to remove it. The standard of treatment for lipomas and other tumors of soft tissue is minimally-invasive surgery. This surgical approach uses the smallest possible incisions to access the tumor and remove it. These small incisions minimize the risk to nearby normal tissue and reduce your healing and recovery time. Rarely, tumors of the soft tissue can invade other tissues. Some may grow quickly. If your tumor is aggressive, you may need surgical excision and another therapy, such as radiation. Although radiation is usually reserved for malignant tumors, we might recommend it if your tumor is rapidly invading nearby tissues. This is true even if it’s not cancerous.
For more information about tumors of the soft tissue or to have a growth evaluated, contact us at Advanced Surgical Physicians for a consultation. We can help you determine the best course of action for your soft tissue mass.