The solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) was first described as a mesenchymal tumor of fibroblastic type, present in the pleura. The head and neck area is the third most common site of SFT occurrence. Numb chin syndrome (NCS) is a rare neurological symptom. The current report describes the case of a 39-year-old female patient referred to the present hospital with NCS, which was later observed to be due to a large SFT in the infratemporal fossa. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance images were taken and subsequent examination of these images revealed a space occupying mass (52×50×40 mm) in the infratemporal fossa. An open biopsy was performed on the lower part of the right auricula following angiography assisted vascular embolization of the maxillary artery. Pathological diagnosis was verified as SFT. Despite the tumor size and anatomical site, the SFT was successfully reduced in size by treatment with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) alone, with no recurrence. IMRT treatment of SFT may be effective as a future potential option for locally advanced head and neck SFT.
Keywords: infratemporal fossa; intensity modulated radiation therapy; numb chin syndrome; solitary fibrous tumor; vascular tumor.