[Postirradiation malignant fibrous histiocytoma following mastectomy in breast cancer].

A case is reported of a patient who developed a histological unusual sarcoma in the chest wall 5.3 years after postoperative radiation therapy (5,000 rads) for breast cancer. This sarcoma showed microscopic features of malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH). A review of the literature disclosed 16 other cases in which MFH developed under similar circumstances. An analysis of these 16 cases and the case reported here showed that the mean radiation dose was 5,623 rads, that the time period between irradiation and the development of MFH ranged from 2 to 27 years and that wide resection offered better prognosis than chemotherapy.