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Pathology of the Pleura and Mediastinum pp 261–268Cite as

Mediastinal Pleomorphic Sarcoma

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Pathology ((EP))

Synonyms

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH)

Definition

The term pleomorphic sarcoma, formerly known as malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH), refers to a group of malignant soft tissue sarcomas that by a combination of sampling and immunohistochemistry show no obvious line of differentiation and by ultrastructural techniques demonstrate fibroblastic or myofibroblastic characteristics (Montgomery and Fisher 2001). Pleomorphic sarcomas are tumors that classically show a cartwheel-like or storiform growth pattern; however, this pattern is not restricted to this group of tumors but can be seen in a range of other neoplasms so that a number of ancillary studies are required before a diagnosis of “undifferentiated” pleomorphic sarcoma can be rendered (Goldblum 2014). Before the advent of modern immunohistochemical techniques, MFH used to be the most common malignant tumor of soft tissues in the adult population. Using modern monoclonal antibodies, many of these tumors can today be...

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References and Further Reading

  • Carneiro, A., Francis, P., Bendahl, P. O., Fernebro, J., Akerman, M., Fletcher, C., Rydholm, A., Borg, A., & Nilbert, M. (2009). Indistinguishable genomic profiles and shared prognostic markers in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and leiomyosarcoma: Different sides of a single coin? Laboratory Investigation, 89, 668–675.

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  • Goldblum, J. R. (2014). An approach to pleomorphic sarcomas: Can we subclassify, and does it matter? Modern Pathology, 27(Suppl 1), S39–S46.

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  • Imai, K., Saito, H., Minamiya, Y., Hashimoto, M., Kimura, Y., & Ogawa, J. (2008). Malignant fibrous histiocytoma originating from the thymus. General Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 56, 606–609.

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  • Montgomery, E., & Fisher, C. (2001). Myofibroblastic differentiation in malignant fibrous histiocytoma (pleomorphic myofibrosarcoma): A clinicopathological study. Histopathology, 38, 499–509.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shimizu, J., Murakami, S., Oda, M., Hayashi, Y., Arano, Y., Morita, K., Watanabe, Y., & Nonomura, A. (1994). Malignant fibrous histiocytoma originating in the mediastinum: Report of a case. Surgery Today, 24, 368–370.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Annikka Weissferdt & Cesar A. Moran

Authors
  1. Annikka Weissferdt
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  2. Cesar A. Moran
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Annikka Weissferdt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, The University of Mississippi Medical School, The University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA

    Timothy Craig Allen

  2. Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Saul Suster

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Cite this entry

Weissferdt, A., Moran, C.A. (2018). Mediastinal Pleomorphic Sarcoma. In: Allen, T.C., Suster, S. (eds) Pathology of the Pleura and Mediastinum. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66796-6_45

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66796-6_45

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-66795-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-66796-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

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