8th Baltic Congress of Radiology

MSK Radiology

poster abstract

Due to their heterogeneity, sarcomas represent one of the largest groups of malignant tumors (according to the WHO classification, more than 50 types of sarcomas are known). One of the crucial factors for the prognosis is the early detection of the disease followed by histological confirmation of the finding.

Recent research in the techniques of medical diagnosis and results of related studies accentuate the precise interpretation of structural changes in sarcomas. Improvements in the imaging techniques have led to early detection of pathological changes in small neoplasms, as well as more accurate determination of the connection between lesions and the adjacent structures leading to the improvement of the most effective treatment selection. The study focuses on the diagnostic procedures with a broad spectrum of imaging techniques. The chapters deal in detail with individual types of sarcomas emphasizing the right interpretation of their imaging. Additionally the possibilities of neoplasm’s histologization via biopsy are covered. The subchapters of the main part of the work present the diseases with the highest incidence in the population.

Compared to diagnostic methods (e.g. CT, ultrasound) use of advanced MR methods like diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) provides possibility to assess cellularity of tumor or determine early response to treatment of sarcomas diseases. The main aim of the study is to summarize current knowledge in sarcoma diagnosis, show their respective diagnostic algorithms and create picture essay with its own file of patients.

Since the publication of the first pioneering article on magnetic resonance imaging in the journal Nature, published by Paul Lauterbur in 1973, MRI has undergone extensive development and new techniques are still being developed that find application in clinical practice. At present, a physician evaluating, ultrasound, X-ray, CT or MR, is impossible to do without understanding the principles of imaging, so the work includes theoretical knowledge and practical examples of the use of multiparametric MR techniques with demonstration of additional information they provide about sarcoma diseases. The result is a review work that presents case studies of the author's clinical practice, also includes current theoretical knowledge necessary for the correct interpretation of the finding. The future treatment strategy is influenced by new procedures, to a significant extent also by diagnostic examinations, which constantly improve and refine the diagnosis of sarcomas and enable a more accurate prognosis of these units in terms of risk and method of possible generalization, as well as their sensitivity to treatment. Modern and well-executed imaging documentation specifies the place for taking suitable tissue samples for histological examination, as well as a radiologist contributes to the planning of the operation on the basis of a finding in the image, for example by assessing the relationship of large vessels to the tumor.

Sarcomas belong to types of cancer with high mortality. Non-invasive techniques such as ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance predominate in their medical diagnosis. Biopsy is then indicated in order to determine the exact type of the cancer. Improvements in the imaging techniques have led to early detection of pathological changes in small neoplasms, leading to the betterment of selection of the most effective treatment.

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