New entities in cutaneous soft tissue tumours

Abstract

Connective tissue tumours represent a significant group among biopsied skin lesions and manifest a wide range of morphological patterns. While the majority are easily diagnosed, notably most fibrous histiocytomas and neural lesions, a proportion pose considerable diagnostic difficulty. With the increasing recognition and characterisation of previously undescribed entities within the family of soft tissue tumours in recent years, the number of unclassifiable lesions should diminish. The ultimate aim of accurate recognition and classification is to provide appropriate clinical care based on reasoned prediction of a given lesion's behaviour. With this in mind, we wish to briefly review herein some of the more recently characterised dermal connective tissue lesions, including plexiform fibrohistiocytic tumour, cellular fibrous histiocytoma, spindle celled atypical fibroxanthoma, adult myofibroma, dermatomyofibroma, so-called cellular neurothekeoma, ectopic meningothelial hamartoma, tufted angioma, sinusoidal haemangioma and bacillary angiomatosis.