Solitary fibrous tumour of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses

Our plain-English summary of Solitary fibrous tumour of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, by I. Alobid, L. Alós, J.L. Blanch, et al (Acta Oto-laryngologica, 2003).

The study

• Authors: I. Alobid, L. Alós, J.L. Blanch, P. Benítez, M. Bernal-Sprekelsen, J. Mullol
• Journal: Acta Oto-laryngologica
• Published: 2003;123(1):71-4
• Type of article: Case report, Review
• Cited by: 35 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Objective: Solitary fibrous tumour (SFT) is an uncommon unilateral benign lesion that usually arises from the pleura. Recently, SFT has been described in many other locations, such as the mediastinum, head and neck, orbit and urogenital system. To date, only 21 cases of SFT arising from the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses have been reported in the literature.

Material And Methods: We describe a case of SFT localized in the right nasal cavity with extension to the right ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses in a 43-year-old man who presented with a 6-month history of unilateral right-sided nasal obstruction, rhinorrhoea and recurrent epistaxis.

Results: CT showed a large mass arising from the right anterior ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses. Histopathologically, the lesion consisted of a non-encapsulated mass with spindle-shaped cells within a collagenous stroma. Definitive diagnosis was obtained by means of immunohistochemical analysis, which showed vimentin and CD34 cells.

Conclusion: The tumour was removed by endoscopic sinus surgery, and the patient remained free of tumour after 12 months of follow-up.

In plain English

This article was a case report. It described a 43-year-old man who had six months of blockage on the right side of his nose, a runny nose and repeated nosebleeds. A CT scan showed a large mass arising from the right anterior ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses. A biopsy pointed to a solitary fibrous tumour, and the tumour was removed by endoscopic sinus surgery. It measured 6.5 by 3.8 by 3 cm and tested positive for CD34 and vimentin. The authors found these features consistent with a benign nasal solitary fibrous tumour. The man had no complications after surgery and was discharged within 24 hours. After 12 months he remained free of disease, and a repeat CT scan was normal. The authors also tabulated 21 cases previously reported by other publications. Follow-up was available for 17 of them, and all were alive without disease except two with persistent tumour. The authors believed theirs was the first such case removed by endoscopic sinus surgery without complications. The article does not mention asbestos or any 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 of one patient, with a table summarising 21 previously published cases
• Who was studied: one 43-year-old man with a 6-month history of right-sided nasal obstruction, rhinorrhoea (runny nose) and recurrent epistaxis (nosebleeds)
• Main results:
  • In this patient, CT showed a large mass arising from the right anterior ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses
  • In this patient, the removed tumour was a non-encapsulated mass measuring 6.5 by 3.8 by 3 cm
  • In this patient, the tumour cells were positive for CD34 and vimentin, and the authors judged the features consistent with a benign nasal solitary fibrous tumour
  • In this patient, there were no complications after surgery and he was discharged within 24 hours
  • In this patient, after 12 months of follow-up he remained free of disease and a repeat CT scan was normal
  • In the 21 previously reported cases summarised from other publications (8 men, 13 women), follow-up was available for 17 of 21, and all were alive with no evidence of disease except two patients with persistent tumour
• The authors' conclusion: The authors stated that, to their knowledge, this was the first such case resected by endoscopic sinus surgery without complications

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pleura, Mediastinum, Spindle Cell, CD34.

Related studies

• Solitary fibrous tumor of the nasal cavity and orbit — M. Fukunaga, S. Ushigome, et al. (1995)
• Nasal and sinonasal cancer. Connection with occupational exposures in Denmark, Finland and Sweden — S. Hernberg, P. Westerholm, et al. (1983)
• Risk factors for nasal malignancies in German men: the South-German Nasal cancer study — E.M. Greiser, K.H. Greiser, et al. (2012)
• Nasal cancer and occupational exposures. Preliminary report of a joint Nordic case-referent study — S. Hernberg, Y. Collan, et al. (1983)
• Atypical solitary fibrous tumor of the nose and maxillary sinus — I. Papadakis, E. Koudounarakis, et al. (2013)
• Solitary fibrous tumour of the tongue: a case report with immunohistochemical studies — Y. Yamashita, T. Satoh, et al. (2002)

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