Pleomorphic malignant fibrous histiocytoma: response of bone, lung, and brain metastases to chemotherapy.

We present a case of pleomorphic malignant fibrous histiocytoma arising from the left forearm in a 45-year-old man who had undergone resection and radiotherapy for a tumor 3 years previously. At his first visit, he had multiple lung and bone metastases. Although these metastases responded well to systemic chemotherapy, brain metastases newly appeared and caused the death of the patient. These findings demonstrate that individual sarcomatous metastatic organs exhibit different sensitivities to chemotherapy. The mechanism of this phenomenon is discussed with a review of previous reports. It is suggested that the blood-brain barrier may play an important role in sensitivity to chemotherapy.