Fibrosarcoma of Superficial Soft Tissue Origin

Abstract

Soft-tissue tumors of fibrous tissue origin can generally be classified into 3 main groups: (a) tumors of fibrous tissue hyperplasia (scars and keloids); (b) tumors of fibrous tissue proliferation (plantar fibromatosis and juvenile fibromatosis), and (c) fibrosarcoma. It is the purpose of this report to describe our experiences with tumors of the third category, and only those confined to the superficial soft parts of the body. Because of the importance of histologically distinguishing fibrosarcoma as a tumor entity, a brief résumé of its microscopical features is presented below. Fifteen years ago, the nomenclature and histological criteria for fibrosarcoma were far from standardized, and it was not uncommon to find such terms as "neurogenic sarcoma" or "spindle-cell sarcoma" describing a supposedly malignant tumor of fibrous tissue origin. In 1948, Stout,⁷ in a paper devoted to fibrosarcoma, pointed out the inadequacy of these terms, and cited examples of liposarcomas and rhabdomyosarcomas