Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41652191›Full record

SynthesisSkeletal radiology2026

MRI findings for differentiating benign and malignant soft tissue tumors: a systematic review-part 2: key imaging findings.

Muaz Wahid, Aayush Sharma, Mahad Rehman, Shyam Ramachandran, Majid Chalian, Gitanjali Bajaj, Jim S Wu, Hillary Garner, Jonathan Samet, Shivani Ahlawat and 4 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Skeletal radiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Muaz WahidDepartment of Radiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA. muaz.wahid@utsouthwestern.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-5579-3114
Aayush SharmaDepartment of Radiology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA.
Mahad RehmanDepartment of Radiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA.
Shyam RamachandranDepartment of Radiology, Texas A&M University School of Medicine, College Station, TX, USA.
Majid ChalianDepartment of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Gitanjali BajajDepartment of Radiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
Jim S WuDepartment of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Hillary GarnerDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Jonathan SametDepartment of Radiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Shivani AhlawatRussell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Kambiz MotamediDepartment of Radiology and Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Ty SubhawongDepartment of Radiology and Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
Mark MurpheyDepartment of Radiology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Avneesh ChhabraDepartment of Radiology and Orthopaedic Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo synthesize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and their reported diagnostic performance that differentiate benign from malignant soft-tissue tumors in alignment with the 2020 World Health Organization classification. MATERIALS AND

methodsA systematic review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched through July 2024. Eligible studies reported MRI feature frequencies or diagnostic accuracy for common soft-tissue tumor subtypes. Reviews, case reports, duplicates, non-English publications, and studies outside the scope were excluded. Quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2).

resultsSeventy-six studies met inclusion criteria. In lipomatous tumors, homogeneous fat signal and thin septa supported lipoma, whereas thick or nodular septa and enhancement favored atypical or well-differentiated liposarcoma. Myxofibrosarcoma often demonstrated an infiltrative fascial "tail." Vascular lesions included angioleiomyoma with a reticular T2 pattern and glomus tumor with marked T2 hyperintensity and avid enhancement. In peripheral nerve sheath tumors, lower apparent diffusion coefficient values and peritumoral edema favored malignancy. Heterogeneity in imaging protocols precluded meta-analysis; results were summarized descriptively by subtype.

conclusionConsolidated MRI patterns-such as septal morphology in lipomatous tumors, the fascial tail in myxofibrosarcoma, characteristic T2 patterns in vascular lesions, and diffusion and edema cues in nerve sheath tumors-support differentiation of benign and malignant entities, enhance reader confidence, and inform biopsy and management. Standardized prospective studies are needed to validate these thresholds and improve generalizability.

Indexed as

Magnetic Resonance ImagingSoft Tissue NeoplasmsDiagnosis, DifferentialHumansDiagnostic performanceImaging biomarkersMalignancy differentiationMRISoft-tissue sarcoma

Identifiers

PMID41652191
PMCPMC13139302

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Registered trials

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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 OpenQuestion graph.