Solitary fibrous tumor of the thoracic spine - Case report and review of the literature

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a neoplasm first described as a tumor of me senchymal origin involving soft tissues. The authors provide a review of th e literature with detailed pathological analysis and radiological descripti on of SFTs involving the central nervous system. The authors report a rare case of a SFT of the thoracic spine in an adult m an presenting with myelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a well-c ircumscribed, intradural, extramedullary mass at the T2-3 level. Histologic al examination demonstrated a proliferation of predominantly spindle-shaped cells with a collagen-matrix background. Immunohistochemical staining was positive for vimentin and CD34 and negative for S-100 and epithelial membra ne antigen with an MIB-1 labeling index of 2.6%. Review of the literature r evealed 10 cases in which this tumor, frequently found in the pleura, was i nvolved in the central nervous system. Although rare and their clinical significance as yet unknown, SFTs may be c onsidered in the differential diagnosis of intradural spinal cord lesions. The natural history is also unknown, but these tumors appear to be biologic ally benign.