Calcifying fibrous pseudotumor of mediastinum--a case report

Our plain-English summary of Calcifying fibrous pseudotumor of mediastinum--a case report, by H.S. Jeong, G.K. Lee, R. Sung, et al (Journal of Korean Medical Science, 1997).

The study

• Authors: H.S. Jeong, G.K. Lee, R. Sung, J.H. Ahn, H.G. Song
• Journal: Journal of Korean Medical Science
• Published: 1997;12(1):58-62
• Type of article: Case report, Review
• Cited by: 26 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

This report presents a case of calcifying fibrous pseudotumor arising in the posterior mediastinum of a 54-year-old woman. The histopathologic features of this case were identical to that of calcifying fibrous pseudotumor first designated in 1993. It is a distinctive benign fibrous lesion characterized by the presence of characteristics psammomatous or dystrophic calcification, abundant hyalinized collagen and lymphoplasmacytic cell infiltrate. Immunohistochemically most of the scattered fibroblasts were positive for vimentin, but not for CD-34 and cytokeratins, distinguishing it from solitary fibrous tumor of pleura and desmoplastic mesothelioma. The unusual site of the posterior mediastinum and the old age characterize this case.

In plain English

This article was a case report about one patient, a 54-year-old woman, with a calcifying fibrous pseudotumor in the mediastinum (the central part of the chest). The removed mass measured 8.5 by 6 by 5 cm, weighed 320 grams, and was tightly attached to a removed segment of her second rib. Under the microscope it was made mostly of dense collagen, with scattered fibroblasts, calcium deposits (psammoma bodies and irregular calcifications) and clusters of inflammatory cells. No amyloid was found. Most fibroblasts stained positive only for vimentin and negative for CD-34 and cytokeratins. The authors stated that this staining pattern clearly separated the case from solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura and from desmoplastic mesothelioma. Forty-nine months after the operation the patient showed no residual or metastatic disease. The authors believed the lesion is a late form of pseudotumor. They concluded that the patient's age suggests the tumor occurs across a wide age range and that it can develop anywhere, including body cavities. The article did not report asbestos or any other exposure.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: case report (single patient)
• Who was studied: one 54-year-old woman with a mediastinal mass; the supplied text gives no place or date
• Exposure: None studied. The article does not mention asbestos or any other exposure.
• Main results:
  • The removed mass measured 8.5 by 6 by 5 cm and weighed 320 g.
  • The mass was tightly attached to a removed segment of the second rib.
  • Microscopically it showed dense collagen, psammomatous bodies and dystrophic calcifications, and lymphoplasmacytic (inflammatory cell) infiltrates.
  • No amyloid was found on Congo red staining.
  • Most fibroblasts were positive only for vimentin and negative for CD-34 and the other markers tested.
  • Because the tumor cells were negative for both CD-34 and cytokeratins, the authors stated the case could be clearly distinguished from solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura and desmoplastic mesothelioma.
  • The patient had no residual or metastatic disease 49 months after the operation.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors believed the lesion is a biologically late manifestation of pseudotumor. They concluded that the patient's age suggests the tumor has a wide age distribution and that it can develop anywhere, including body cavities.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mediastinum, Collagen, Fibroblast, Solitary Fibrous Tumor, Pleura, Desmoplastic Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Calcified plaques on mediastinal pleural reflections associated with asbestos dust exposure: four case reports — A. Solomon, G.K. Sluis-Cremer, et al. (1984)
• Solitary fibrous tumor of the mediastinum. A report of 14 cases — G.B. Witkin, J. Rosai (1989)
• Solitary fibrous tumor of the mediastinum — N. Weidner (1991)
• Transbronchial needle aspiration for histology specimens — A.C. Mehta, M.S. Kavuru, et al. (1989)
• Rosai-Dorfman disease presenting as a solitary mediastinal mass — A.I. Hida, S. Yagi, et al. (2009)
• Asbestos dust as a nucleation center in the calcification of old fibrous tissue lesions, and the possible association of this process to the formation of asbestos bodies — J.M. Davis (1970)

Browse more research in Journal of Korean Medical Science, or return to medical research.