Solitary fibrous tumour of the soft tissue of the face: a case report

Abstract

Introduction: Solitary fibrous tumour (SFT) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm described first in the pleura. Recently, SFTs have been found in various extra-serosal locations, including the head and neck region.

Case presentation: We report a case of SFT originating from the periorbital region of the face. Preoperative cytological examination by fine needle aspiration biopsy diagnosed a mesenchymal tumour. The patient underwent surgical resection. The mass was completely resected. Definitive histopathologic and immunohistologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of SFT.

Discussion: The rare localisation in extrapleural sites and the multiplicity of histological patterns can explain the difficulty in arriving at a definitive diagnosis in SFT. Usually, SFT is a benign tumour, although malignant variants exist. Clinical behaviour is unpredictable and recurrence or malignant transformation can also occur, especially in cases with macroscopically or microscopically invaded margins. Complete surgical excision and long follow-up is therefore always recommended. The recent increase in reports of extrapleural SFT indicates that this rare tumour should be included in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue head and neck tumours.