Histopathological Study of Soft Tissue Tumors in a Tertiary Care Centre in Mangadu, Tamil Nadu: - A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Soft-tissue tumours (STTs) constitute < 1 % of all human malignancies, yet benign lesions occur up to 100-fold more frequently than sarcomas. Histopathology still remains the gold standard diagnostic method. South Indian data on contemporary profile of soft tissue tumors are scarce.

Aim of the study:  To investigate the the spectrum of soft tissue tumours in our hospital, age, sex, site and size distribution frequency of these tumours. To Categorize the different kinds and sub-types of soft tissue tumors.

Methods: This retrospective cross sectional study was conducted on all the biopsy proven soft tissue tumors diagnosed in the Department of Pathology, Sri Muthukumaran Medical College Hospital & Research Institute, Mangadu, between January 2022 and December 2024. The pertinent data was retrieved to determine the relative frequency of soft tissue tumors, demographic information and the site., size, histogenesis and biological behaviour were recorded and analysed using SPSS-25. Chi-square tests explored associations; p < 0.05 was significant.

Results: Eighty tumours met inclusion criteria. Patients ranged from 11–66 years (mean 37.8 ± 11.2); the fourth decade showed the highest incidence (40 %). Males predominated (60 %; M : F = 1.5 : 1). Most lesions were ≤ 5 cm (90 %) and arose in the upper limb (53.8 %). Benign neoplasms constituted 90 % (n = 72), intermediate/locally aggressive lesions 10 % (n = 8); no malignant STTs were encountered. Adipocytic lineage dominated (55 %), followed by peripheral-nerve-sheath (17.5 %) and vascular tumours (11.3 %). Lipoma (n = 30) was the “single most common entity. Among intermediate lesions, atypical lipomatous tumour-lipoma-like subtype (n = 5) and fibromatoses (n = 3) prevailed. Tumour behaviour correlated significantly with size > 5 cm (p = 0.02) but not with age or sex.

Conclusion: The spectrum in Mangadu mirrors global trends with benign adipocytic lesions dominating the study, while sarcomas remain rare. This paper puts much emphasis on Histopathological examination that remains the gold standard in diagnosis of soft tissue tumors although IHC and molecular studies are available.