Objective: To study the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of patients with solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura (SFTP) in order to improve the diagnostic accuracy and treatment of SFTP.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical and imaging features, serum biochemical changes, pathological characteristics and treatment follow-up results was conducted for 40 SFTP patients from January 1998 to March 2010.
Results: A chest CT diagnosis was conducted for 63.6% of the patients; the unenhanced and contrast-enhanced CT findings were significantly different among the cohort (P<0.01). Patients lacking a uniform MRI internal signal comprised 88.9% of the group, 66.7% showed T1 isointensity, 33.3% demonstrated T1 hypointensity, 44.4% showed T2 hypointensity and 44.4% had slight hypointensity. The follow-up time was between 2 and 116.9 months, with an average of 35 months; postoperative adjuvant therapy was not administered. Currently, all the studied patients are alive, with no metastasis or recurrence.
Conclusion: Chest CT is a valuable tool for diagnosis and surgical decisions, and the efficacy of MRI examination is comparable to chest CT. The majority of cases originated in the visceral pleural; for these, surgical resection is an effective treatment, and the prognosis is generally favorable.
Keywords: Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura; clinical features; imaging; pathology; treatment.