A large solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura: a case report and review of the literature

Abstract

We report a clinical case of a solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura (SFTP) in a 67-year-old female patient complaining of chest pain for 2 months. A localized large mass was found in the left inferior hemithorax by computed tomography scan. The patient underwent a thoracotomy at the left side with endotracheal anaesthesia. During surgical resection, the tumour was located in the left inferior hemithorax and was attached to the inferior lobe of the left lung and diaphragmatic pleura by a fibrous pedicle. A wedge resection of the left lower lobe was undertaken to completely remove the tumour. Diagnosis of the SFTP was confirmed by the surgical findings and subsequent histological and immunohistochemical examinations. At the 6-month follow-up, no signs of local tumour recurrence or metastasis were documented. After a 3-year follow-up, this patient remains in good health.

Keywords: Solitary fibrous tumour of pleura; case report; pleura; tumour.

Figure 1.

A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of a 67-year-old female patient revealed a large oval mass located in the left hemithorax with extensive vessels, heterogeneous patchy enhancement and a pseudo-capsule (A). The pathological specimen was 13 cm × 12 cm × 9 cm in size and appeared encapsulated with extensive vessels beneath (B). The colour version of this figure is available at: http://imr.sagepub.com.

Figure 2.

Representative photomicrographs of tissue sections taken from a large oval mass located in the left hemithorax of a 67-year-old female patient showing hypercellular (A) and hypocellular areas (B) (haematoxylin and eosin). The tumour comprised of a proliferation of spindle-shaped cells in a patternless or partial storiform fashion with thin-walled branching vessels and bands of collagen. Scale bar 100 µm. The colour version of this figure is available at: http://imr.sagepub.com.

Figure 3.

Representative photomicrographs of tissue sections taken from a large oval mass located in the left hemithorax of a 67-year-old female patient showing that the tumour cells were immunohistochemically positive for CD34 (A) and negative for S-100 (B). Scale bar 100 µm. The colour version of this figure is available at: http://imr.sagepub.com.