Solitary fibrous tumor of the buccal mucosa: report of a case with immunohistochemical studies

Our plain-English summary of Solitary fibrous tumor of the buccal mucosa: report of a case with immunohistochemical studies, by S. Iwai, M. Nakazawa, F. Yoshikawa, et al (Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontics, 1999).

The study

• Authors: S. Iwai, M. Nakazawa, F. Yoshikawa, S. Amekawa, M. Sakuda
• Journal: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontics
• Published: 1999;88(4):461-5
• Type of article: Case report, Review
• Cited by: 25 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

We describe a case of a solitary fibrous tumor of the buccal mucosa and report the results of immunohistochemical studies of the lesion. Solitary fibrous tumors are extremely rare in the intraoral region. These tumors are generally difficult to diagnose because of their broad range of morphologic characteristics. We regard the expression of CD34 within the appropriate clinical and morphologic setting, in the absence of reactivity for other specific markers of differentiation, as evidence supporting the diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumor.

In plain English

This article was a case report from Osaka, Japan. It described a 27-year-old Japanese man referred in September 1996 with a painless swelling of the left upper lip and the anterior buccal mucosa (the inside of the cheek). The swelling had slowly grown over 5 years. Scans showed a well-defined mass about 2 cm across, which was first diagnosed as a suspected pleomorphic adenoma. The tumor was removed in January 1997, and no recurrence was seen for 2 years after surgery. Under the microscope the tumor suggested a benign neurogenic, fibroblastic or histiocytic tumor. Laboratory staining of the tissue was positive for CD34 and vimentin and negative for the other markers tested, muscle-specific actin and S-100 protein. Those results led to a definitive diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumor. The authors concluded that CD34 staining may be a useful diagnostic aid when the microscopic picture is compatible. The article does not mention asbestos or discuss any cause of the tumor.

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 with immunohistochemical (tissue staining) studies
• Who was studied: one 27-year-old Japanese man with a swelling of the left upper lip and anterior buccal mucosa, referred on September 18, 1996, treated at Osaka University, Japan
• Main results:
  • The patient's swelling was painless and had slowly developed over 5 years. Examination found a hard, mobile mass 2 cm in diameter.
  • Before surgery, the lesion was diagnosed as a suspected pleomorphic adenoma.
  • The tumor was excised on January 29, 1997. No recurrence was observed for 2 years after surgery.
  • The removed tumor measured 2.0 × 1.6 × 1.0 cm. On microscopy it suggested a benign neurogenic, fibroblastic, or histiocytic mesenchymal tumor, with no nuclear atypia.
  • Tumor tissue stained positive for CD34 and vimentin.
  • Tumor tissue stained negative for the other antibodies tested (muscle-specific actin and S-100 protein).
  • The staining results led to a definitive diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumor.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that because CD34 staining appears to be consistently found in solitary fibrous tumors, it may be a useful diagnostic aid, particularly when the microscopic findings are compatible.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Solitary Fibrous Tumor, CD34.

Related studies

• Solitary fibrous tumor of the liver: a clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of nine cases — C.A. Moran, K.G. Ishak, et al. (1998)
• Solitary fibrous tumour of the tongue: a case report with immunohistochemical studies — Y. Yamashita, T. Satoh, et al. (2002)
• Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura. An immunohistochemical, electron microscopic and tissue culture study of a tumor producing insulin-like growth factor I in a patient with hypoglycemia — E.H. Strøm, F. Skjørten, et al. (1991)
• Cytopathological features of solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura: a study of 5 cases — B. Weynand, P. Collard, et al. (1998)
• Solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura: an ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study — S. Keating, G.T. Simon, et al. (1987)
• Nuclear expression of STAT6 distinguishes solitary fibrous tumor from histologic mimics — L.A. Doyle, M. Vivero, et al. (2014)

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