Soft tissue tumors are cell growths that emerge nearly anywhere in the body: in tendons, muscles, ligaments, cartilage, nerves, blood vessels, fat, and other tissues. Patients commonly refer to these masses as lumps or bumps. Soft tissue tumors can be cancerous or benign. Benign masses are thought to occur 10 times more frequently than cancerous growths (referred to medically as sarcomas). Generally these growths are roughly round in shape, but they also can be or elliptical or elongated like a sausage. Masses greater than 5 cm (2 inches) carry the highest risk of being malignant and merit a medical evaluation. They can feel firm or soft. Benign masses are more likely to be painful to the touch, such as with an abscess. Benign tumors also tend to grow more slowly, and many are smaller than 5 cm (2 inches) at their longest point. Sarcomas (cancerous growths) more often are painless. Cancerous masses are more likely to grow rapidly, and to have fingerlets or satellite lesions around them.