Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the spermatic cord: report of two cases and review of the literature.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the spermatic cord is rare, and most published cases are single case reports that emphasize clinical presentation and management. We describe in detail the histopathologic features of 2 cases of high-grade storiform-pleomorphic MFH arising in the spermatic cord. Both tumors occurred in elderly men, 65 years and 70 years, and were 4 cm (Case 1) and 5 cm (Case 2) in greatest dimension. The tumor mass in Case 1 was associated with satellite tumor nodules. At last follow-up, in Case 1 the patient died of metastasis, and in Case 2, the patient is alive and well 46 months after diagnosis. Review of the literature reveals 33 additional cases published in English (17 cases) or Japanese (16 cases) that include histologic description. Including the 2 cases in this report, most of the tumors occurred in older (than 50 years) patients (28 of 35 cases, 80%) and occurred as solitary masses that ranged in diameter from less than 1 cm to more than 20 cm. Nine patients presented with satellite tumor nodules. Twenty-nine (83%) tumors were of the storiform-pleomorphic type, with 3 giant cell type, 2 inflammatory type, and 1 myxoid type. These features do not differ significantly from MFH in other anatomic sites. Clinical follow-up is available in 33 cases (3-174 months; mean, 31.5 months). Twelve patients developed recurrence and metastasis; at least 4 patients died of the disease. Tumor size does not predict the clinical progression; however, patients with progressive tumors were commonly associated with satellite nodules at time of presentation, an indication of early local metastasis.