A CASE OF MALIGNANT FIBROUS HISTOCYTOMA ORIGINATED FROM THE STERNUM

A 65-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of fever and a chest tumor. Laboratory findings showed abnormalities in the liver function, inflammatory reactions, and an elevation in serum Ferritin level (1170ng/dl). The patient was diagnosed as having a malignant tumor of the sternum according to the results of CT, MRI, Ga scintigram, and biopsy. The tumor was resected with a part of the anterior chest wall and lymph nodes. The defect of the chest wall was reconstructed using left sixth rib and both pectoralis major muscles. Histological findings of the tumor showed a storiform pattern of fibroblastic cells. Immunohistochemical stainings with α1-antitrypsin, α1-antichymotrypsin, Ferritin, and Vimentin showed positive reactions. Therefore, a diagnosis of malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) was established. About 3 months after the operation, metastasis to the right kidney and to the left adrenal gland became obvious, and about 5 months after the operation, the patient died of multiple organ failure. This was the third case of MFH originated from the sternum in the world literature as far as we could review.