Proliferative fasciitis mimicking a sarcoma in a child: a case report.
Proliferative fasciitis (PF) is a benign, discrete proliferation of fibroblasts or myofibroblasts in soft tissue. Proliferative fasciitis mostly occurs in adults and is often confused with a sarcoma because of its rapid growth and peculiar histological features. We report a case of PF mimicking a sarcoma which developed in a 13-year-old boy, who noticed a painful tumor, with gradual enlargement, in his right lower leg. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed that the tumor measured 34 mm × 20 mm × 41 mm and was located in the subcutaneous tissue. The tumor was surgically resected. Pathologically, the tumor was composed of a proliferation of atypical spindle cells, admixed with larger ganglion-like cells. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for vimentin, cytokeratin, smooth muscle actin, HHF-35 and Fli-1. The tumor was subsequently diagnosed as a PF, although it was difficult to differentiate from a sarcoma. Five years after surgery, the postoperative course has been uneventful with no recurrence or metastasis.
Faculty of Medicine, Division of Organ Pathology, Department of Microbiology and Pathology, Tottori, Japan.
Kensaku
K
Yamaga
Kohei
K
Shomori
Hideki
H
Yamashita
Koji
K
Endo
Chikako
C
Takeda
Takeshi
T
Minamizaki
Haruhiko
H
Yoshida
Ryota
R
Teshima
Hisao
H
Ito
D000293:Adolescent; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005208:Fasciitis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000473:pathology*
child; cytokeratin; lower leg; proliferative fasciitis; soft tissue tumor