Published online Jun 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i21.3354
Revised: March 30, 2013
Accepted: April 27, 2013
Published online: June 7, 2013
Processing time: 172 Days and 16.2 Hours
Solitary fibrous tumors are predominantly benign and are most commonly found in the thoracic cavity and pleura; while reports exist in the literature of malignant solitary fibrous tumors and those located in extrathoracic organs, these cases are considered extremely rare. Herein, a case is reported of a malignant solitary fibrous tumor involving the liver that was diagnosed and treated in a 62-year-old woman. The patient presented with complaints of upper abdominal pain and unintentional weight loss. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen revealed a remarkably large mass, measuring 15 cm × 10 cm × 20 cm, which appeared to be unrelated to any particular organ. The intraoperative finding of a wide communication with the left liver suggested hepatic origin, and served as an indicator for tumor resection via left hemihepatectomy. The diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumor and its malignant nature was confirmed by histological and immunohistochemical examination of the resected tissues. Hepatic solitary fibrous tumor is very rare, and surgery remains the mainstay of treatment. Due to limited reports of such tumors in the literature, little can be said about the benefit of adjuvant therapy and prognosis for the rare cases with malignant histological findings.
Core tip: Solitary fibrous tumors are predominantly benign and most commonly found in the thoracic cavity and pleura, but occasionally show malignant characteristics and occur in extrathoracic organs. A malignant solitary fibrous tumor involving the liver that was diagnosed in a 62-year-old woman and treated by surgical resection is reported here. Solitary fibrous tumor is very rare in a hepatic location, and surgery is the mainstay of treatment. Due to limited reports of such tumors in the literature, little can be said about the benefit of adjuvant therapy and prognosis for the rare cases with malignant histological findings.