Primary synovial sarcoma of the parietal pleura: a case report

Abstract

Synovial sarcoma is a malignant soft tissue tumor that most commonly occurs in the extremities of young and middle-aged adults, in the vicinity of large joints. Although synovial sarcoma is frequently associated with joints, it may arise in unexpected sites, such as the mediastinum, heart, lung, pleura, or chest wall. Primary synovial sarcoma of the pleura is rare. To date, nearly 36 cases of primary synovial sarcoma of the pleura have been reported since Gaertner et al. published the first case in 1996. The oncologic characteristics, treatment, and prognosis for pleural synovial sarcomas are not well defined because of a paucity of data. However, a multimodal approach, including surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, has generally been suggested. We report the outcome of one patient with primary pleural synovial sarcoma treated with radical resection and adjuvant treatment.

Keywords: Pleura; Primary synovial sarcoma; Synovial sarcoma.

Fig. 1

Computed tomography of the chest shows a heterogeneous mass attached to the right parietal pleura with direct invasion of the posterior arch of the right 4th rib.

Fig. 2

Histopathological examination. (A) The specimen shows synovial sarcoma composed of spindle cells with a hemangiopericytoma-like vascular pattern (H&E, ×200). (B) The tumor cells showed immunohistochemical positivity for vimentin (vimentin stain, ×200).