Soft-tissue sarcoma biopsy: A safe and well-tolerated technique with a high diagnostic yield – A 5-year review of more than 800 cases

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the diagnostic yield, accuracy, and complication rate of the US-guided core-needle biopsy technique for suspected soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) and review this against other published practices. Material and Methods: A 5-year retrospective study was performed of consecutive US-guided percutaneous biopsy for suspected STSs, with 815 planned procedures in 799 patients (average age 57.8 years, [range 15–95] with 54.7% male). Diagnostic yield was recorded as positive for a sample that allowed differentiation of benign and malignant lesions. Diagnostic accuracy was defined as the correlation between biopsy and surgical specimen when excision was performed. Immediate and late complications were documented. The patient procedural experience was recorded by a departmental questionnaire. Results: Diagnostic yield was positive in 751/778 (96.5%) with no immediate, short- or long-term complications. Of 815 planned biopsies, 778 core biopsies were obtained. Of the 37 biopsy cases, where the tissue was not obtained, nine were not performed due to patient factors and a further 28 could not be obtained for other technical reasons (e.g., the lesion being too hard to penetrate or too painful to the core). 27/778 (3.5%) of biopsies were non-diagnostic (96.5%) and of these 27, nine patients were followed up clinically, 13 biopsies were repeated, and five cases were surgically excised without further biopsy attempts. Conclusion: The described soft-tissue mass US-guided percutaneous core-needle biopsy technique demonstrates a high diagnostic yield and accuracy with a low complication rate. The diagnostic yield appears comparable to data published by other institutions with more invasive techniques.