title: Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the face: report of a case.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Soft tissue sarcomas in the head and neck region are rare and often present a difficult differential diagnosis. The aim of our presentation is to point out the complexity of the diagnosis, treatment and follow up.
  
  
  METHODS
  An eighty-seven year old female patient was referred to our unit with a fast growing brownish lump on the face. Four months beforehand, a benign fibrous histiocytoma (BFH) had been removed from the same location by excision biopsy with wide tumour-free resection margins. Excision biopsy of the recurrent lesion revealed a malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH). Radical tumour resection was completed by extended parotidectomy and neck dissection; the skin defect was covered by a regional bi-lobed flap. No adjuvant radio- or chemotherapy was administered. Full functional and cosmetic recovery was achieved; follow-up has been uneventful more than two years postoperatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Malignant transformation of BFH is extremely rare and if so, extended radical surgery may give a fair chance for a favourable outcome even in patients with advanced age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Muenster, Waldeyerstr, 30, 48149 Muenster, Germany. seper@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Seper
authors.forename: Richárd
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.forename: Sirichai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kiattavorncharoen
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Büchter
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bánkfalvi
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Joos
authors.forename: József
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piffkó
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kruse-Loesler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D005153:Facial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D051677:Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D037981:Neck Dissection / Q000379:methods; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome