Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura: clinicopathological and immunohistochemical examination

The purpose of this work was to study clinical and biological characteristics of solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of the pleura. We reviewed the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of 12 patients who underwent surgical resection for SFT. Ten cases were histologically defined as benign; two were found to be malignant. CD34 negativity and strong expression of p53 could be observed in a patient with fatal outcome. Ki-67 expression was increased in malignant cases, as compared with benign. We also found that Bcl-2 expression inversely correlated with a tumor diameter. As the development of malignant SFT might be associated with these molecular statuses, immunohistochemical staining should be performed in all cases to identify the biological characteristics of the tumor.