Medical Qualifications 

Mr Dirk Strauss qualified as a General Surgeon from the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) obtaining MMed (Surg) and FCS (SA) degrees. In 2006 he undertook a specialist fellowship at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, in upper gastrointestinal surgery with a special emphasis on surgery for gastrointestinal malignancies and complex oesophageal reconstructions. Mr Strauss completed the International Fellowship in Surgical Oncology at The Royal Marsden Hospital in 2008. He became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He has a special interest in surgery for soft tissue tumours, retroperitoneal and intra-abdominal sarcomas.

Medical Experience

Mr Strauss is a Consultant Surgical Oncologist and General Surgeon in the Sarcoma Unit and Skin Unit at The Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey and at the Lister Hospital, London. Both hospitals have a unique one-stop diagnostic facility that provides clinical assessment, diagnostic imaging and needle biopsies in a single visit where patients are managed in the context of a multidisciplinary specialist team. The Sarcoma Unit at the Royal Marsden hospital is one of the largest in Europe. It is recognised worldwide for its strength in diagnosing and treating soft tissue sarcomas. Patients are referred from all over the UK and the world. 

In practice at

The Royal Marsden Hospital
NHS
The Lister Hospital
Private

Specialisms

Treatment options

Languages spoken:

English

Articles written by Mr Dirk Strauss

Malignant soft tissue sarcomas

The most common symptom of a malignant soft tissue sarcoma (cancer) is a painless, gradually enlarging lump. The growth rate of sarcomas depending on how aggressive the tumour is. Low grade tumours can grow slowly while aggressive high grade tumours can develop and enlarge rapidly. Diagnosis relies on clinical examination, imaging, and laboratory analysis (histopathology of a biopsy). In most cases the laboratory examination of a tumour specimen is required before treatment is started.

Soft tissue tumours - symptoms and diagnosis

Soft tissue tumours that appear as lumps and bumps are a diverse group of tumours that can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Soft tissue is defined as the supportive or connective tissue of the body and includes fibrous connective tissue, bone, muscle, fat, blood/lymph vessels and the nervous system. All lumps are usually referred to as tumours whether they are benign or malignant. Benign soft tissue tumours are relatively common in the general population. Benign tumours cannot spread to other parts of the body but they can continue to grow at the original site where they can cause a problem by pressing on the surrounding organs.

Benign soft tissue tumours and other lumps and bumps

Benign soft tissue tumours are lumps and bumps that are non-cancerous. Soft tissue is defined as the supportive or connective tissue of the body and includes fibrous connective tissue, bone, muscle, fat, blood/lymph vessels and the nervous system. All lumps are usually referred to as tumours whether they are benign or malignant. Benign soft tissue tumours are relatively common in the general population. Benign tumours cannot spread to other parts of the body but they can continue to grow at the original site where they can cause a problem by pressing on the surrounding organs. They can also be cosmetically unsightly. There are a number of different types of benign soft tissue tumour that I will explain in this article.