Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Soft tissue pathology
Introduction
Soft tissue pathology is the subspecialty of surgical pathology which deals with the diagnosis and characterization of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases of the soft tissues, such as muscle, adipose tissue, tendons, fascia, and connective tissues. Many malignancies of the the soft tissues are challenging for the pathologist to diagnose through gross examination and microscopy alone, and additional tools such as immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, and molecular pathology techniques are sometimes employed to obtain a definitive diagnosis.