Localized fibrous tumors of the pleura:: Clinical and surgical evaluation

Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura are uncommon and mainly arise in the pleura itself. Such tumors are generally asymptomatic and slow-growing. We report a series of 10 cases (8 men and 2 women with a mean age of 58.6 years) treated over a period of 54 months. The tumors were classified histologically as benign or malignant according to the criteria used by England. The treatment of choice was complete resection of the tumor. Six posterolateral thoracotomies and 4 video-assisted resections were performed. Histology showed a mixture of fibroblast-like cells and collagenous stroma. Sarcomatous degeneration was observed in the excised tumor of 1 patient. The patients were followed for a mean of 23.9 months. We conclude that although fibrous tumors of the pleura are considered benign histologically, complete resection and follow up for all patients are recommended.