Av. Vallat-decouvelaere et al., Atypical and malignant solitary fibrous tumors in extrathoracic locations - Evidence of their comparability to intra-thoracic tumors, AM J SURG P, 22(12), 1998, pp. 1501-1511
Citations number
50
Categorie Soggetti
Research/Laboratory Medicine & Medical Tecnology","Medical Research Diagnosis & Treatment
Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT), first described as a pleural lesion, has been
reported at numerous extrathoracic sites over the past 10 years. About 10%
to 15% of intrathoracic SFTs are histologically or clinically malignant, b
ut such cases have very rarely been described at other locations. Among 92
cases of extrathoracic SFT in our files, we identified 10 that either had r
ecurred (2 cases) or had a least one atypical histologic feature (8 cases).
The ten tumors occurred in five men and five women, 32 to 81 years old (me
dian 56), measured 1.9 cm to 20 cm (median 11.5 cm), and were located in th
e abdomen/pelvis (4 cases), retroperitoneum (3 cases), groin, trunk, and up
per arm. Nuclear atypia (8 cases), markedly increased cellularity (6 cases)
, areas of necrosis (4 cases), and greater than 4 mitoses/ 10 HPFs (3 cases
) were seen in addition to the typical histologic features of SFT. Six tumo
rs had at least two of these atypical histologic features. Nine cases were
positive for CD34, six were positive for O-13, and one was focally positive
for smooth muscle actin. Eight were excised completely. Subsequent follow-
up revealed tumor relapse in eight cases (follow up 6-180 months, median 24
). Four patients had local recurrence at 12 to 168 months. Distant metastas
is developed at 1 to 6 years in five cases with spread to lung (2 cases), l
iver (4 cases), and bone. Metastasis or local recurrence developed within 2
years in five patients. To date, no patient has died of their tumor. These
findings demonstrate that nuclear atypia, hypercellularity, greater than 4
mitoses/10 HPFs, and necrosis may be seen in up to 10% of extrathoracic SF
Ts, and are associated with, but are not by themselves predictive of, aggre
ssive clinical behavior. In addition, our findings confirm that the behavio
r of extrathoracic SFTs is unpredictable, entirely comparable to that of th
eir better known pleural counterparts, and confirm that patients with SFTs
in all locations require careful, long-term follow up. It is probably unwis
e to regard any such lesion as definitely benign.