Solitary fibrous tumor of the tympanic membrane a case report and systematic review

Purpose: Otological solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) are exceedingly rare. There has been no report of SFT localized to the tympanic membrane. To report on a rare case of solitary fibrous tumor of the tympanic membrane and provide systematic review of the literature pertaining the demographics and pathophysiology of otological SFTs. Materials and methods: This review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. A search of PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted to identify English-language articles on solitary fibrous tumor of the ear, with emphasis on the tympanic membrane, published through 2022. A combination of Boolean operators and the following keywords were included in the search strategy: "solitary fibrous tumor", "tympanic membrane", and "ear". Results: We found 12 previous reports of solitary fibrous tumors of the ears, none of which were in the tympanic membrane. All cases underwent surgical resection, with or without perioperative embolization, or radiation. There was no evidence of distant diseases in any cases. Conclusions: In the context of a tympanic membrane mass with associated pain and hearing loss, our findings suggest that solitary fibrous tumor should be included in the differential diagnosis.