The staging of primary malignant MSTs requires adherence to a unified staging system. The need for accurate preoperative local staging techniques to allow planning of limited or limb-saving surgery in patients with primary bone tumors has fostered an interest in radiologic staging techniques. Pre-operative treatment planning is based largely on these imaging studies because the local tumor extent determines how a tumor free margin can be accomplished. CT is most sensitive in depicting cortical erosions and calcified periosteal reactions as well as in screening for distant metastasis. MRI is the method of choice for the staging of intra and extramedullary tumor extension, for the differentiation of neighboring compartments, and in the detection of invasion of the regional neurovascular bundle after IV Gd DTPA. Consistent application of the staging criteria in preoperative imaging, limb-saving therapy can be employed more often and the prognosis of the disease can be improved.