What is solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura?
Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm that most commonly affects the pleura, uncommonly affects the lungs and mediastinum, and rarely involves extrathoracic sites. It is unrelated to asbestos exposure and may be either benign (about 90%) or malignant (about 10%). Most patients present in the fifth through eighth decades of life and have a much better prognosis than patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Of these neoplasms, 80% arise from the visceral pleura, and 20% arise from the parietal pleura, although a few are intrapulmonary in location. Of neoplasms, 20% to 50% are pedunculated, and they are composed of spindle-shaped, fibroblast-like cells with a variable amount of collagenous stroma, vascularity, and myxoid or cystic degeneration.
