Thirteen-year postsurgery recurrence of malignant fibrous histiocytoma with left axillary lymph node metastasis

Abstract

A 63-year-old female patient underwent wide local excision after a diagnosis of malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) on the left side of the chest. Thirteen years later, she noticed a painless enlarging subcutaneous mass in the left axillary region. CT showed local recurrence and metastasis of MFH to the axillary lymph nodes. A biopsy was performed. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations revealed the diagnosis of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (MFH). We performed axillary lymph node dissection. Histopathological examination of a resected specimen showed no residual tumor. The patient has been free from recurrence and metastasis 8 years postoperatively. Recurrence of MFH with an interval of 13 years is a rare event. To improve the prognosis of MFH, surgical prevention of local recurrence is essential. [Skin Cancer (Japan) 2015 ; 30 : 26-29]