Integrated therapeutic approach to giant solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura: report of a case and review of the literature

Resection of pleural solitary fibrous tumors with distinct feeding vessels arising from the descending aorta: a case report

BACKGROUND

Pleural solitary fibrous tumors (pSFTs) are rare mesenchymal pleural tumors with rich vascularity. Surgical resection is the cornerstone of pSFTs treatment, requiring careful preoperative imaging to delineate lesion extent and vascular supply including contrast-enhanced computed tomography and other examinations depending on its size and characteristics.

CASE PRESENTATION

The patient was a 34-year-old female with a mass measuring approximately 67 × 42 × 65 mm in the left posterior mediastinum. Intraoperatively, the mass demonstrated rich vascularity. Two veins originating from the abdominal cavity entered the lower pole, one converged from the superior pole, draining into the brachiocephalic vein. Additionally, two arteries arose directly from the descending aorta, while several veins drained into the intercostal veins. In response to unexpected intraoperative vascular findings, vascular clips and silk threads were used to ligate them. Subsequently, the tumor was successfully dissected, with approximately 600 ml of blood loss recorded during the 4-hour surgery. The patient exhibited a satisfactory postoperative recovery, and follow-up spanning over six months revealed no indications of recurrence or metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

We firstly present a case of successful resection of a pSFT in a 34-year-old woman with a distinct feeding vessel arising from the descending aorta and describe the related surgical procedures. This case highlights preoperative evaluation of mass vascularity based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography. When blood supply is challenging to clarify, angiography can offer additional details, especially for giant pSFTs. Despite this, thorough intraoperative exploration remains essential to detect unexpected vessels. Appropriate interventions should be customized based on the vascular origins and the surrounding anatomical structures.

Giant intrapulmonary solitary fibrous tumor

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a soft tissue tumor of mesenchymal origin involving, most commonly, the pleura. Intrapulmonary SFT is a slow-growing tumor that rarely reaches giant forms. SFTs are asymptomatic and often randomly discovered by routine chest X-rays. The diagnosis requires histopathological and immunohistochemical (IHC) examinations. Most of the SFTs are benign and present an indolent course. Larger tumors are more likely to be malignant and consequently associated with a worse prognosis. Despite having histopathological criteria for malignancy, the behavior of SFTs is challenging to predict. We report a case of giant intrapulmonary SFT of intermediate risk.

Anesthetic management of thoracotomy for massive intrathoracic solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura: a case report

BACKGROUNDS

Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura (SFTP) is a rare thoracic tumor and usually asymptomatic. Massive SFTP may affect adjacent organs and tissues including pulmonary vasculature, bronchus and heart. A thoracotomy for massive SFTP is necessary in severe case. Therefore, it is important for anesthesiologists to understand the condition of patients with massive SFTP and develop an appropriate anesthetic management strategy. A 76-year-old woman with massive SFTP presented to our clinical center and was evaluated as requiring thoracotomy. She received multidisciplinary cooperation treatment from the radiology, cardiac, thoracic surgery and anesthetic teams. The perioperative management of anesthesiologists played a crucial role in the great prognosis of this woman.

CONCLUSIONS

This case report demonstrates the importance of comprehensive and meticulous perioperative management and provides guidance to the multidisciplinary team on the potential risk and the rational treatment strategy of patients with massive SFTP during the perioperative period.

Surgery for Solitary Fibrous Tumors of the Pleura: A Review of the Available Evidence

Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura (pSFT) are a relatively rare neoplasms that can arise from either visceral or parietal pleura and may have different aggressive biological behaviors. Surgery is well known to be the cornerstone of the treatment for pSFT. We reviewed the existing literature, focusing on the role of surgery in the management and treatment of pSFT. All English-written literature has been reviewed, focusing on those reporting on the perioperative management and postoperative outcomes. Surgery for pSFT is feasible and safe in all experiences reported in the literature, but surgical approaches and techniques may vary according to the tumor dimensions, localization, and surgeons' skills. Long-term outcomes are good, with a 10-year overall survival rate of more than 70% in most of the reported experiences; on the other hand, recurrence may happen in up to 17% of cases, which occurs mainly in the first two years after surgery, but case reports suggest the need for a longer follow-up to assess the risk of late recurrence. Malignant histology and dimensions are the most recognized risk factors for recurrence. Recurrence might be operated on in select patients. Surgery is the treatment of choice in pSFT, but a radical resection and a careful postoperative follow-up should be carried out.

Advancements in Interventional Oncology of the Chest: Transarterial Chemoembolization and Related Therapies

While embolization therapy has been used for many years in the treatment of nonmalignant diseases of the chest, such as pulmonary arteriovenous malformation treatment and bronchial artery embolization for hemorrhage, the application of transarterial techniques to the treatment of chest neoplasms is relatively uncommon. Extrapolating from transarterial chemoembolization techniques used for liver malignancy, investigators have recently sought to expand the indications for transarterial techniques from the control of symptoms such as bleeding to the control of disease progression and potentially survival benefit in patients with malignancies in the chest. This article provides an overview of the current embolotherapy techniques used in the treatment of patients with thoracic malignancies.

Resection of giant malignant solitary fibrous pleural tumor after interventional embolization: a case report and literature review

Background

Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura (SFTP) is a rare mesenchymal tumor that arises at various sites and typically originates from the pleura. Most patients with SFTPs are asymptomatic, unless the tumor is large. Approximately 20% of SFTP cases are malignant. There are few reports on imaging diagnoses and interventional treatments of SFTP. Here, we report a case of a giant SFTP that exhibited malignant behavior and underwent successful resection after embolization of the main supply artery of the tumor.

Case presentation

We report a clinical case of a giant SFTP in a 66-year-old Chinese female patient complaining of chest tightness and cough for more than 2 months. Ten years ago, the patient had undergone a chest CT scan at a local hospital for cough. Computed tomography (CT) had revealed a mass in the right thoracic region, which was misdiagnosed as a pulmonary abscess by CT-guided biopsy. Therefore, the patient did not receive appropriate/complete treatment at that time. She was hospitalized again, because CT showed significant enlargement of the right thoracic mass, which caused her obvious symptoms of discomfort. The pathological results of CT-guided biopsy at our hospital confirmed SFTP. Considering the large size of the tumor and the rich blood supply, some of the main blood vessels were treated with embolization before surgical resection. A large tumor, about 23 cm × 16 cm × 15 cm in size, was then successfully removed by thoracic surgery. The diagnosis of malignant SFTP was confirmed by surgical pathology and immunohistochemistry.

Conclusion

Imaging findings of SFTPs are not characteristic, especially when a tumor is large, the diagnosis is difficult, and the final diagnosis still depends on histological and immunohistochemical examinations. The two-stage surgical treatment described here, which involves first embolization of the main supplying artery of the large tumor and then complete surgical resection, is effective and safe for SFTPs. Whether needle biopsy or vascular embolization is performed, intervention plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with SFTPs.

[Monstrous Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Pleura - A Case Report and Review of the Literature]

Localized solitary fibrous tumors are a rare entity and are mostly found in the thorax, but can also occur in the liver, skin, meninges, peritoneum, and pericardium. Making the diagnosis is often difficult because of the various micromorphologic outlooks. The histopathological assessment with differentiated immunohistochemistry is decisive. Surgical resection of the localized solitary fibrous tumors is the therapy of choice. The recurrence and metastasis rates depend on the histological dignity and are in total very low. Therefore, continuous follow-up examinations are indicated. We report on a 76-year-old female patient with a monstrous solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura who complained of exertional dyspnea and sharp pain in the right thoracic region for several weeks. Computed tomography showed a massive, heterogeneous pulmonary mass 22 cm in diameter in the middle and lower field of the right lung with compression of the diaphragm and mediastinum. The tumor was completely resected through a double thoracotomy in the 5th and 8th ICR. Intraoperatively, the tumor was stalked to the middle lobe. In order to completely remove the tumor, a wedge resection was also performed from the middle lobe. The tumor weighed 2.4 kg. The diagnosis of a solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura was made histologically and immunohistochemically. Postoperatively, the lung has fully expanded. There was no evidence of a relapse at the 3-month follow-up examination. The clinical symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, risk of recurrence and the prognosis of these tumors are shown and discussed in accordance with the literature.

Combination therapy with preoperative embolization and en block laminectomy using thread saw for spinous process solitary fibrous tumor: A case report

Solitary fibrous tumors are rare mesenchymal neoplasms with highly recurrence rates after intratumor resection. We report 2 cases of solitary fibrous tumors treated with combination therapy with embolization and en bloc laminectomy using thread saw. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such report. In the 2 cases, the hypervascular tumors were located in the spinal process and infiltrating the multifidus. Preoperative embolization was useful for decreasing intraoperative bleeding, and using thread saw was an ideal technique for deciding the cut surface height of the pedicle to achieve gross total resection.

Doege-Potter Syndrome and Hypoglycemia associated with Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Pleura: Two Case Reports

Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura (SFTP) are rare mesenchymal neoplasms that originate from mesenchymal growth in the pleura, tend to be single tumors, usually have an indolent course and show nonspecific symptoms. SFTP can be often diagnosed from an incidental finding of a single mass in the thorax and should be confirmed by biopsy and immunohistochemistry. A minority of cases may present Doege–Potter syndrome (DPS, episodes of refractory hypoglycemia) associated with production of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2). Both SFTP and DPS are rare occurrences with less than 2000 cases reported worldwide. The curative treatment is tumor resection. Two cases of patients with DPS caused by SFTP are presented below.

Rapidly growing giant solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura: a case report and review of the literature

Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura (SFTPs) are rare slowly-growing tumors that originate from mesenchymal cells of the submesothelial tissue of the pleura. A 57-year-old female presented to our institute, and complained of mild chest discomfort for one year. The computed tomography (CT) showed a thoracic mass measuring 3.4×1.5 cm. She refused surgical removal, and turned to the medical treatment with oral herbs with unknown specific ingredients; however, she had persistence of her symptoms and gradually developed general fatigue and severe dyspnea six months before presentation. The CT scan revealed a giant mass measuring 33×20×15 cm in the right hemithorax, leading to total atelectasis of the lung. After preoperative embolization of the tumor-supplying arteries, the tumor was completely removed. The diagnosis of SFTP was confirmed by subsequent histopathologic and immunohistochemical examinations. The postoperative course was uneventful with a 15-day length of stay, and the patient was in good health at the 15-month follow-up.

Rapidly growing solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura: a case report and review of the literature

A solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a rare spindle cell tumor-derived from mesenchymal cells. It may be linked to the fusion of the NAB2-STAT6 gene caused by 12q chromosome rearrangement. It can occur in the connective tissue of any part of the body; however, it is most common in the pleura. Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura (SFTP) are a persistent painless mass with slow growth. With the increase of the tumor, there will be corresponding compression symptoms. Pleural effusion is rare, and the cytology of pleural effusion is mostly negative. Occasionally, SFTP can induce paraneoplastic syndrome, distant metastasis, and malignant transformation. Lung function may have mild to moderate restrictive ventilation dysfunction. CT is a crucial method for the clinical diagnosis of SFTP. The histopathological features of SFTP are the coexistence of sparse and dense areas. CD34, CD99, Bcl-2, and vimentin are the most valuable immunohistochemical markers.The positive expression rate of STAT6 in benign SFT was even 100%. Adhesion or unclear boundary with surrounding tissues, pleural effusion or calcification, tumors with a maximum diameter greater than 10 cm, invasive growth, uneven density, metastasis or recurrence, paraneoplastic syndrome, moderate to severe cell heterogeneity, high Ki67 proliferation index, and low STAT6 expression suggest SFTP may be a malignant tumor. Gene analysis on next generation sequencing may help reveal the mutation characteristics of SFTP. Complete tumor resection is the gold standard of SFTP. Resectability is the most important prognostic factor. Age, size, mitosis, and necrosis are considered risk stratification factors for prognosis. Fortunately, 80% of SFTP are benign and have anexcellentprognosis but need long-term follow-up.We report a case of rapidly growing tumor with pleural effusion within 9 months, who was surgically treated and is currently under follow-up. And the literature is reviewed.

The pleura and the endocrine system

The functioning of the pleura and the endocrine system are not entirely independent of each other. Some hormones can reach a greater concentration in the pleural exudate than in the blood. However, the clinical significance of this finding remains unknown. In some circumstances, hormonal changes are responsible for pathological manifestations in the pleura. Hypothyroidism is one of the most common diseases that can cause a pleural effusion, likely resulting from alterations in capillary permeability. The presence of ectopic endometrial tissue within the lung parenchyma, pleura, pericardium or diaphragm is known as thoracic endometriosis and is one of the causes of catamenial pneumothorax and /or catamenial hemothorax, which can affect women of childbearing age and arises within 72 h from the onset of menstruation. Treatment and prevention of recurrent catamenial pneumothorax / hemothorax usually requires an approach that combines surgery and hormone therapy. Malignant pleural effusion from breast cancer may contain estrogen receptor-positive cells. In such a case, endocrine treatment may be effective in reducing the amount of pleural fluid and the associated symptoms. Thyroid cancer and lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) are further hormone-sensitive malignancies in which pleura is frequently involved. The solitary fibrous tumor of pleura (SFPT) is an example of a pleural disease that can cause hormonal balance disorders. It can lead to a rise in the releasing factor for growth hormone (GHRH), human beta chorionic gonadotropin (Beta-hCG), and insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2). The consequence of such hormonal imbalance include hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy, gynecomastia, and refractory hypoglycemia, respectively.

Embolization of Chest Neoplasms: The Next Frontier in Interventional Oncology?

The management of chest tumors and their sequelae has been an uncommon indication for transarterial embolization (TAE). More recently, vascular embolization has been increasingly performed for this indication. The most common reported indication for embolization of neoplastic disease in the chest is the control of bleeding resulting either from iatrogenic causes or from tumor invasion into a bronchus or vessel. A natural extension of the application of TAE to neoplasm-related hemoptysis is its burgeoning indication as a possible primary treatment for benign chest tumors, primary lung neoplasms, and metastatic disease in patients that are refractory to systemic therapies and have limited or no surgical options. The goals for this indication are tumor regression and management of bulk-related symptoms. In addition to bland TAE for this indication, authors have reported very initial results applying transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and transarterial radioembolization (TARE) to chest neoplasms with promising results that support feasibility and safety. This article is an up-to-date review of the management of chest tumors with embolization and its variants.

Predictors of behaviour in solitary fibrous tumours of the pleura surgically resected: Analysis of 107 patients

OBJECTIVES

Gold standard therapy for solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura is complete surgical resection. Aims of this retrospective study are to evaluate oncological and surgical outcomes and to verify the clinical reliability of prognostic scores presented in literature.

METHODS

Study population: 107 patients surgically treated between 1972 and 2018. Male/female ratio: 1/2.45; median age at surgery: 60 years (range, 19-80); peduncle lesions 69.8%; visceral pleura origin 72.9%; benign histology 73.8%; median diameter 8 cm (range 1 to 35, 27 cases giant [≥15 cm]).

RESULTS

After a median follow up of 7 years, 12 patients had recurrence. By multivariate analysis, malignant histology (P = .03; HR, 4.17; 95% CI, 1.15-15.06), origin from parietal pleura (P  = .03; HR, 3.90; 95% CI, 1.08-14.09), England (P = .002; HR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.28-3.07), Diebold (P = .008; HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.20-3.22) and Tapias (P = .003; HR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.20-2.53) scores were found independent significant predictors of relapse. Giant tumours were associated with open surgery (P = .003), origin from parietal pleura (P = .011) and intraoperative bleeding (P > .001). Overall 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 81%. Predictors of worst DFS were parietal pleura origin (P = .002), malignant histology (P = .006) and all the prognostic scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Malignant histology and origin from parietal pleura were significant predictors of tumour recurrence and worst DFS. The use of current scoring systems can help to predict clinical behaviour. Patients with higher risk of relapse can benefit from closer follow up, prolonged over 10 years.

Immune Checkpoint Blockade for Advanced NSCLC: A New Landscape for Elderly Patients

The therapeutic scenario for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC has been limited to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Recently, a novel therapeutic approach based on targeting the immune-checkpoints has showed noteworthy results in advanced NSCLC. PD1/PD-L1 pathway is co-opted by tumor cells through the expression of PD-L1 on the tumor cell surface and on cells within the microenvironment, leading to suppression of anti-tumor cytolytic T-cell activity by the tumor. The success of immune-checkpoints inhibitors in clinical trials led to rapid approval by the FDA and EMA. Currently, data regarding efficacy and safety of ICIs in older subjects is limited by the poor number of elderly recruited in clinical trials. Careful assessment and management of comorbidities is essential to achieve better outcomes and limit the immune related adverse events in elderly NSCLC patients.

A large solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura: a case report and review of the literature

We report a clinical case of a solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura (SFTP) in a 67-year-old female patient complaining of chest pain for 2 months. A localized large mass was found in the left inferior hemithorax by computed tomography scan. The patient underwent a thoracotomy at the left side with endotracheal anaesthesia. During surgical resection, the tumour was located in the left inferior hemithorax and was attached to the inferior lobe of the left lung and diaphragmatic pleura by a fibrous pedicle. A wedge resection of the left lower lobe was undertaken to completely remove the tumour. Diagnosis of the SFTP was confirmed by the surgical findings and subsequent histological and immunohistochemical examinations. At the 6-month follow-up, no signs of local tumour recurrence or metastasis were documented. After a 3-year follow-up, this patient remains in good health.

Clinical diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a tumour which, despite progress in diagnostic procedures and biomolecular research, has poor prognosis. Symptoms reflect extension of disease and include shortness of breath and chest pain. Unexplained pleural effusion and pleural pain in patients exposed to asbestos should raise the suspicion of MPM. MPM diagnosis requires imaging procedures X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scans; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) better defines the extension of the tumor while PET scanning provides additional information on metabolic activity, metastases, and response to treatment. Thoracoscopic biopsy remains the most appropriate procedure for definitive diagnosis of mesothelioma. Multimodality treatment including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy has been associated with a better survival in selected patients. Clinical translational research including new approaches targeting immune-checkpoints is opening new horizons which may lead to personalised treatments.

Preoperative high-intensity training in frail old patients undergoing pulmonary resection for NSCLC

Thoracic surgery remains the better therapeutic option for non-small cell lung cancer patients that are diagnosed in early stage disease. Preoperative lung function assessment includes respiratory function tests (RFT) and cardio-pulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Vo2 peak, FEV1 and DLCO as well as recognition of performance status, presence of co-morbidities, frailty indexes, and age predict the potential impact of surgical resection on patient health status and survival risk. In this study we have retrospectively assessed the benefit of a high-intensity preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP) in 14 patients with underlying lung function impairment prior to surgery. Amongst these, three patients candidate to surgical resection exhibited severe functional impairment associated with high score of frailty according CHS and SOF index, resulting in a substantial mortality risk. Our observations indicate that PRP appear to reduce the mortality and morbidity risk in frail patients with concurrent lung function impairment undergoing thoracic surgery. PRP produced improvement of VO2 peak degree and pulmonary function resulting in reduced postoperative complications in high-risk patients from our cases. Our results indicate that a preoperative training program may improve postoperative clinical outcomes in fraillung cancer patients with impaired lung function prior to surgical resection.