A CASE OF RETROPERITONEAL MALIGNANT FIBROUS HISTOCYTOMA

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the retroperitoneum is rare in Japan. We have experienced one case of this disease. We present this case with a review and discussion of the literature. Case report 28-year-old woman presented with right hypochondralgia. She underwent cholecystectomy with the diagnosis of cholecystitis. The operative finding was a tumor, 10 cm in diameter, adjacent to the upper pole of the right kidney. She was referred to our hospital on Oct. 8, 1984, with a palpable tumor below the right subcostal margin. Laboratory data showed minimal changes. By angiography, A. capusularis of inf. adrenal artery were demonstrated to be the tumor's feeding vessels. On Nov. 6, 1984, she underwent tumor resection including the regional lymph-node. The pathological finding was MFH, of the retroperitoneum, without lymph-node metastasis. She was given postoperative chemotherapy, and was tumor-free 12 months after the operation. There have been 23 cases reported of MFH, of the retroperitoneum in Japan past 10 years. Among them, all 13 cases of urinary tract examination showed a variety of abnormalities. Computerized tomography demonstrated liver metastasis in one of 10 patients. Ultrasound sonography in two cases was also useful to detect the tumor's architecture. Angiography, performed in 13 cases, was the most important diagnostic tool in order to identify the origin of the tumor and assess resectability. Among 18 operative cases, 11 were combined with radiation and/or chemotherapy.