Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma Research

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Background: Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma (MFH) is a soft tissue and bony sarcoma regarded as the most common soft tissue sarcoma of adulthood (3, Fletcher et. al). MFH was first discovered by Kauffman and Stout in 1961 (1). Originally it was described by Kauffman and Stout as a tumor with a high concentration of histiocytes and a storiform growth pattern (1). It is now the subject of debate as to what the cell of origin makes up MFH and is most recently thought of as the last stage of tumor un-differentiation. Due to discrepancies and disagreements about the classification and origin of Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma, the World Health Organization has renamed it Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma not otherwise specified (2). Malignant fibrous histiocytoma is broken down in to roughly 4 subtypes according to Weiss et. al.. (4). These subtypes include: Storiformpleomorphic, Myxoid (myxoidfibrosarcoma), Giant cell (Malignant giant cell tumor of soft parts), and Inflammatory (xanthosarcoma, malignant xanthogranuloma). Weiss also indicated that 70% of these lesions are of the storiformpleomorphic type, making it the most common subtype. Demographics and Etiology: According to Weiss et al (4) Malignant fibrous histiocytoma occurs predominantly later in life at an average age occurring between 50 and 70 years. Weiss also stated that roughly two thirds of the diagnosed cases have occurred in men, showing a slight male predilection (4) The majority of cases have shown to appear as a mass associated with the lower extremity and thigh however other locations have been found such as the upper extremity, head and neck, and retroperitoneum (5). Clark et. al suggested that three to ten percent of the cases of MFH occur in the head ... ... middle of paper ... ...cent of individuals. Along with survival rate and metastatic/recurrence sites, Pezzi et al determined that there were two main prognostic factors that determined successful treatment outcomes for MFH. These two main factors were tumor size and tumor grade. They concluded that tumors less than 5cm, between 5-10cm, and larger than 10cm had 5-year survival rates of 82%, 68%, and 51% respectively. Along with size Pezzi et. al. determined that the 5-year survival rate for intermediate-grade tumors was 80% whereas high-grade tumors presented a 5-year survival rate of 60%. Due to these findings it is important for a clinician to take into account both the size of the tumor and the grading when determining the proper treatment protocols for a patient. More aggressive treatment modalities may be considered for patients with larger tumors and less-favorable grading.

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