Synovial sarcoma in childhood

The clinical and radiologic findings in seven children with synovial sarcoma are described. The five boys and two girls had a mean age at presentation of 4.4 years. All seven had the lesion situated in an extremity. Plain radiographs in four revealed the presence of a soft-tissue mass with no calcification or bone and joint involvement. In two patients studied with computed tomography (CT), the primary lesions had peripheral irregular areas of enhancement with central areas of poor enhancement, reflecting the necrotic, cystic, and hemorrhagic changes found in the centers of these tumors. Although the exact margins of these lesions were difficult to define accurately even with intravenous contrast enhancement, CT is still recommended as the best imaging method for assessing the local extent of the primary tumor and is a useful tool in the planning of appropriate therapy as well as the gauging of tumor response to ongoing treatment.