Diagnostic Approach to Synovial Sarcoma of the Head and Neck Illustrated by Two Cases Arising in the Face and Oral Cavity

Tonsillar synovial sarcoma, unusual anatomical location: case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Synovial sarcoma is a rare soft tissue malignancy, occasionally found in the head and neck region. The diagnosis necessitates a multidisciplinary approach involving the clinical presentation, proper imaging studies and histological confirmation, with molecular testing for definitive identification. Treatment entails surgical resection with adjuvant therapies as needed.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 33-year-old male patient presented with globus sensation concomitant with right-sided neck swelling. He was clinically found to have right tonsil enlargement with posterior extension. Therefore, he underwent right tonsillectomy with pharyngoplasty. Histopathological examination revealed a biphasic tumor consistent with synovial sarcoma, confirmed by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization.

CONCLUSIONS

Tonsillar synovial sarcoma represents a diagnostic challenge, requiring a high index of suspicion and comprehensive evaluation. With only twenty previously published cases documented in the literature, awareness of this rare presentation is crucial for prompt diagnosis and appropriate management. Collaboration among multidisciplinary healthcare teams and ongoing research efforts are essential for optimizing diagnostic accuracy, treatment efficacy, and patient outcomes in this rare malignancy.

A rare intraosseous synovial sarcoma of the mandible: A case report

INTRODUCTION

Synovial sarcoma is a relatively common high-grade soft-tissue sarcoma. This lesion accounts for 5-10 % of soft-tissue sarcomas, which tend to appear in the limbs, especially the lower limbs. Synovial sarcoma in the neck is rare and causes involvement of the head and neck in 6-7 % of cases. Intraosseous involvement of the mandible is rare. In this report, a rare intraosseous synovial sarcoma of the mandible is reported.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

A 29-year-old man with a complaint of painless outgrowth of the gingiva in the posterior region of the left mandible. In the intraoral examination, an exophytic, firm, smooth and well-defined lobulated mass on the alveolar ridge, extending from distal of the second premolar to mesial of the second molar, was observed. On a radiographic examination, a radiolucent lesion with an ill-defined border was seen in the left body of the mandibular with perforation of the buccal cortex. In a histological examination, immunohistochemistry confirmed synovial sarcoma. The patient underwent surgery with wide margins, and radiotherapy after surgery.

DISCUSSION

The main treatment method is surgery with a wide margin. Radiotherapy as an adjuvant treatment along with surgery is the second most common treatment method. Radiotherapy is recommended in cases of involvement of the margin of the lesion, size greater than 5 cm, and recurrence of the lesion. Chemotherapy after surgery has been used less frequently.

CONCLUSION

Surgical resection with a wide margin is the main treatment. Adjuvant radiation therapy and chemotherapy can be helpful in tumor control, especially in monophasic cases.

Synovial sarcoma of the head and neck: A review of reported cases on the clinical characteristics and treatment methods

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a high-grade soft-tissue sarcoma that occurs predominantly in older children and young adults in their thirties. It is usually very challenging to diagnose and treat synovial sarcoma in the head and neck region. The purpose of this review is to investigate the clinical manifestations and different treatment methods in the management of primary synovial sarcoma of the head and neck. HNSS has an aggressive nature and poor prognosis. Surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the primary treatment methods. Typically, surgical resection with negative margins remains the foundation of therapy, which is not very easily achieved in the head and neck due to its complex anatomical structure and the presence of many blood vessels and nerves. However, synovial sarcoma has a high recurrence rate, so aggressive management and close follow-up are warranted for the optimal outcome.

Monophasic spindle cell myxoid synovial sarcoma of the hand: promising results with marginal resection

Synovial sarcomas are deep-seated, genetically distinct, malignant neoplasms seen in young adults, with a male preponderance. They have unusual clinical and pathological presentation and mimic many other sarcomas and carcinomas, making the diagnosis quite challenging. Although four variants are identified, occurrence in the hand is extremely rare and leads to significant morbidity. There is a high incidence of local recurrence and distant metastasis within the first 2 years. We report the case of an elderly woman with monophasic spindle cell synovial sarcoma who presented with painless swelling in her palm and underwent local excision of the neoplasm. At 2-year follow-up, she remains totally asymptomatic with normal function of the hand. We also attempt to give an overview about monophasic spindle cell synovial sarcoma with the differentials, which would help surgeons in prompt diagnosis and appropriate management.

Synovial sarcoma of the floor of the mouth: a rare case report

Background

Head and neck Synovial sarcoma (SS) accounts for 3–10% of all total body SS. It is rare to find it in the oral cavity, especially on the floor of the mouth.

Case presentation

We present a 44-year-old Chinese male, who had been misdiagnosed as fibroadenoma, with a swelling on the right submandibular region for more than 3 months. The radiology examinations and the pathology results indicate the diagnosis of SS of the floor of the mouth.

The patient only had a surgical operation, without radiotherapy and chemotherapy. At the first follow-up, the patient exhibited no clinical or radiographic complications, and the patient was asymptomatic on subsequent visits.

Conclusions

Misdiagnosis results the delay of diagnosis and treatment of SS. Immunohistological analysis might be the most important tool to confirm the diagnosis of SS.