ReviewCancers2025
Diagnostic Delay in Soft Tissue Sarcomas: A Review.
Review in Cancers, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Psychosocial Impact of Sarcoma: Challenges and Adaptation, a Meta-Synthesis.Psycho-oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Patients' experiences of the path to sarcoma diagnosis: a qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis.BMJ open · 2026Pooled it
- How Much Do Healthcare Practitioners Know About Sarcoma?Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Article
- An Aggressive Neoplasm with Mixed Epithelial and Sarcoma-like Features, of Uncertain Primary Origin, Presenting as an Upper Lip Mass: A Case Report.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Soft Tissue Sarcoma Burden and Research Productivity: Global Patterns and Disparities, 1990-2021.Health science reports · 2026Article
- An Explainable Radiomics-Based Classification Model for Sarcoma Diagnosis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesTo review the problem of diagnostic delay in soft tissue sarcomas with the aim of identifying its causes and consequences, understanding how to clinically suspect and refer them, and evaluating the main limitations of the referral guidelines already in use.
methodsA systematic review of the available literature was performed, focusing on the theoretical framework, the elements and time intervals to be considered, causes and consequences, "red flag" symptoms/signs, the main referral guidelines in use, their results, and the methods used to avoid excessive referrals.
resultsDiagnostic delay in soft tissue sarcomas is a frequent event that is poorly characterized and has important consequences, including prognostic, medico-legal and psycho-social effects. The common denominator is the lack of knowledge and awareness. Several referral guidelines have been described, and most of them are based on clinical data. Their results have been disappointing. Thus, it is necessary to implement new methods to improve their results and avoid the overload of pre-referral imaging systems, sarcoma diagnostic triage meetings, and telemedicine systems.
conclusionsSarcoma units and health system leaders need to study this issue to determine the extent of the problem and its causes. Without this information, it is almost impossible to properly address the problem and take corrective actions. Early referral of suspected soft tissue sarcoma lesions, although desirable, is a complex issue due to the non-specificity of the symptoms. Existing clinical referral guidelines need to be modified to improve detection and conversion rates.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.