title: Malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Review of the literature and report of a case in a four-year-old child.
abstract: A case of fibrous histiocytoma is presented, originally diagnosed as aggressive, which eventually ran the course of fibrosarcoma. We feel that when dealing with any form of "fibromas" one must be very careful as far as the diagnosis and the prognosis are concerned, because there are no clear histological and clinical borders between the benign and malignant counterparts. A wide excision is required in most of the cases, if a recurrence is to be avoided, and a close follow-up to detect any metastasis. The term "aggressive" used in many such lesions could be a convenience in the face of inability to better describe the tumor, and inaccuracy should rather turn our attention towards the malignant side.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Xypolyta
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zachariades
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D018219:Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*