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Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma: A “Fibrohistiocytic” or Primitive, Fibroblastic Sarcoma

  • Chapter
Soft Tissue Tumors

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Pathology ((CT PATHOLOGY,volume 89))

Abstract

Synchronously with the acceptance of fibrohistiocytic tumors, especially of malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) as a tumor type in the second edition of the WHO classification of soft tissue tumors (Weiss 1993), there is increasing criticism of MFH as an entity (Donhuijsen et al. 1987; Dehner 1988; Fletcher 1992). MFH of the bone was questioned as an entity already years ago (Dahlin et al. 1977). MFH as a sarcoma type became popular during 1960s among Stout and his co-workers (Ozello et al. 1963; O’Brien and Stout 1964; Stout and Lattes 1967). MFH was described as being characteristically composed of two cell types: (a) roundish or polygonal — histiocyte-like; and (b) spindly — fibroblast-like. Varying number of multinu-cleated giant cells, with or without atypia, may be admixed. Collagenous or mucoid intercellular substances vary intralesionally and interlesionally. A whorly cellular arrangement, called “storiform pattern,” was thought to be an important differential diagnostic criterion for MFH — even if not ubiquitous (Meister et al. 179; Enzinger 1986).

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  1. P. Meister
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  1. Institut für Paidopathologie, Klinikum der Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Michaelisstr. 11, 24105, Kiel, Germany

    D. Harms Professor Dr.

  2. Institut für Pathologie, A2,2, 68159, Mannheim, Germany

    D. Schmidt Professor Dr.

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Meister, P. (1995). Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma: A “Fibrohistiocytic” or Primitive, Fibroblastic Sarcoma. In: Harms, D., Schmidt, D. (eds) Soft Tissue Tumors. Current Topics in Pathology, vol 89. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-77289-4_10

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