Soft tissue

So called fibrohistiocytic

Plexiform fibrohistiocytic tumor



Last author update: 1 August 2012
Last staff update: 2 August 2023

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PubMed Search: Plexiform fibrohistiocytic tumor soft tissue

Vijay Shankar, M.D.
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Cite this page: Shankar V. Plexiform fibrohistiocytic tumor. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/softtissueplexiformfh.html. Accessed March 18th, 2024.
Definition / general
  • Dermal or subcutaneous, plexiform or multinodular proliferation of fibrohistiocytic cells and osteoclast-like giant cells with chronic inflammatory infiltrate
Terminology
Epidemiology
  • Usually children and young adults, 80% female
Clinical features
Case reports
Treatment
Gross description
  • Multinodular, poorly circumscribed, firm, dermal or subcutaneous, 3 cm or less
Microscopic (histologic) description
  • Deep dermal or subcutaneous tumor with ray like extension into skeletal muscle or adipose tissue
  • Overlying epidermis and dermis are usually normal
  • Plexiform or multinodular proliferation of fibrohistiocytic cells with minimal atypia plus osteoclast-like giant cells and chronic inflammatory infiltrate
  • Nodules or clusters are interconnected in characteristic plexiform arrangement
  • Prominent dilated vessels; more sclerotic than MFH
  • Often hemorrhage and hemosiderin
  • Vascular invasion in 10 - 20%
  • Usually 0 - 2 MF / 10 HPF, no necrosis
  • Subtypes are fibrohistiocytic (histiocyte-like cells and giant cells), fibroblastic (fibroblast-like cells) and mixed
Microscopic (histologic) images

Contributed by David Cohen, M.D. (Case #180), Mark R. Wick, M.D. and AFIP

Subcutaneous proliferation of bland fibrous tissue

Nodules of histiocyte-like cells

Histiocyte-like cells


Various images


Cells with elongated nuclei

Tumor with nodules and fibrous tissue

Resemblance to desmoid fibromatosis

Various images


Various images



Images hosted on other servers:

Various images

12 year old girl with upper arm lesion

Cytology description
  • Plump fibroblastic cells and histiocyte-like cells within a finely granular myxoid background
  • Also osteoclast-like giant cells (Acta Cytol 1999;43:867)
Positive stains
Negative stains
Electron microscopy description
  • Resembles myofibroblasts, fibroblasts and undifferentiated cells
Differential diagnosis
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