Malignant fibrous histiocytoma: Outcome of tumours in the head and neck compared with those in the trunk and extremities

Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of the Head and Neck: CT and MR Imaging Findings

“…The overall 5-year survival rate of MFH has been reported to be 58%-77%. 16,19,20 Tumor grade, size, depth, histologic subtype, and distant metastases at initial presentation seem to be the important prognostic factors for MFH. 2,19 The tumor has a local recurrence rate of 19%-31% and a metastatic rate of 31%-35%.…”

“…8,9 In the head and neck, MFH has been reported to involve the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses most frequently, accounting for 30% of all cases. 8,9,16 Of the sinonasal tract, it occurs most commonly in the maxillary sinus, followed by the ethmoid sinus, nasal cavity, sphenoid sinus, and frontal sinus. 9 Other reported sites involved in the head and neck include the craniofacial bones (15%-25%), larynx (10%-15%), soft tissue of the neck (10%-15%), major salivary gland (5%-15%), oral cavity (5%-15%), pharynx, ear, and eyelid.…”

“…16 In general, head and neck MFH is reported to be associated with a poorer prognosis, compared with MFH elsewhere in the body. It poses a great challenge to surgeons due to the anatomic and functional complexity of the head and neck.…”

“…Systemic metastases are also common, reported in 25%-35%. 8,9 Recently, Sabesan et al 16 reported a 48% 5-year survival rate for MFH of the head and neck, which is much lower than 77% for MFH of the trunk and extremities. Tumors that extend into bony structures are associated with a much more aggressive clinical course than those that are restricted to soft tissues.…”

“…2,7 Despite this ubiquity, however, MFH remains relatively uncommon in the head and neck region, accounting for 3%-10% of all cases. 8,9 To our knowledge, except in a limited number of case reports, [10][11][12][13] most of the previous reports on MFH of the head and neck focused on the clinicopathologic features, 8,9,[14][15][16] and the imaging features were not the major concern. The purpose of this study was to investigate the CT and MR imaging features of 13 cases of MFH arising in various locations of the head and neck.…”