Intra-abdominal spindle cell lesions: a review and practical aids to diagnosis.
Intra-abdominal spindle cell lesions are uncommon and often present a diagnostic challenge. An important group of such lesions are the gastrointestinal stromal tumours. Other intra-abdominal spindle cell lesions include fibromatosis, various sarcomas-in particular, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour-and, in women, endometrial stromal sarcoma. Less common lesions are inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours, the mesenteric spindle cell reactive lesions, retroperitoneal fibrosis, and solitary fibrous tumour. A variety of intra-abdominal tumours of nonmesenchymal origin may have a spindle cell/sarcomatoid morphology; these include sarcomatoid carcinoma, malignant melanoma and, in women, sarcomatoid granulosa cell tumour. Finally, metastatic sarcomas from pelvic or extra-abdominal organs need also be considered. A set of practical aids to the diagnosis of intra-abdominal spindle cell lesions is presented to assist pathologists dealing with such lesions, particularly with regards to the consideration of differential diagnoses.
Al-Nafussi
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Department of Pathology, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK. aan@srv4.med.ed.ac.uk
Wong
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D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005350:Fibroma / Q000473:pathology; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000473:pathology