Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is an uncommon fibroblastic neoplasm that is most commonly associated with the pleura but has also been reported in almost all anatomic sites. Although the majority of SFTs are benign, few cases follow a malignant clinical course and may recur and/or metastasize after several years of their original occurrence. Only 16 cases of pancreatic SFTs are reported so far, and only one has metastasized to lung and subcutis. Pancreatic SFT resembles more common neuroendocrine tumor and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) radiographically and is at times almost indistinguishable from GIST histologically. Diagnosis of SFTs particularly, if attempted on biopsied specimens, can be very challenging due to its rare occurrence and nondescript morphology. It is imperative to understand the pathological spectrum of this entity to avoid misdiagnosis. We report a case of pancreatic SFT in a 43-year-old male with some unusual morphologic and immunohistochemical features including pseudoangiomatous growth pattern, a hypercellular area demonstrating nuclear pleomorphism, and only focal positivity for cluster of differentiation (CD)34. These atypical features can pose even more diagnostic challenge by causing additional confusion with other malignancies like dedifferentiated liposarcoma and vascular tumors. The potential diagnostic pitfalls are discussed.
Keywords: extrapleural; humans; pancreas; patternless pattern; pleomorphism; pleura; solitary fibrous tumor.
Copyright © 2020, Afzal et al.