Non-epithelial Tumors

While epithelial tumors are the most common in the body, non-epithelial tumors or neoplasms do occur, and can arise from various types of tissues. Soft tissue tumors, which are a group of non-epithelial tumors, can arise from muscle, fat, fibrous and vascular tissue. They can occur in any part of the body, however depending on the entity they do have preferred locations and different age prevalences. Soft tissue has a mesenchymal origin that comes from the mesoderm and ectoderm. Due to their origin (mesenchymal cells), it is important to keep in mind that the adult soft tissue does contain mesenchymal stem cells that have the ability to differentiate into various tissue types. Depending on different stimuli, such as genetics, environmental or infections, these tissues can develop into tumors or benign or malignant neoplasms, later ones are also often called sarcomas. According to the WHO classification soft tissue tumors can be classified into multiple groups. With a focus on clinical relevance for medical students, we have selected representative tumors to demonstrate the variety of entities that can be seen in this group.