Soft Tissue giant Cell Tumor of low Malignant Potential of the Neck : A Case Report and Review of the literature

Giant cell tumor of soft parts (GCtSP) is an extremely rare soft tissue tumor that resembles its counterpart in bone. It is considered a soft tissue counterpart of giant cell tumor of the bone (1-3). The tumor is composed of an admixture of osteoclast-like multinucleated giant cells and mononuclear stromal cells (3,4). The lesion was first described in 1972 by Salm and Sissons and Guccion and enzinger (3,4). Salm and Sissons reported a series of 10 benign GCtSP which were analogous to giant cell tumor of bone (3). However, in a series of thirty two cases, Guccian and enzinger noticed that majority of the tumors exhibited agressive clinical behavior. Their study was the first to recognize malignant behavior in GCtSP (4). This pathologic entity was later labeled “malignant fibrous histiocytoma, giant cell type” based on the fact that these tumors were linked histogenetically to malignant fibrous histiocytoma (2). Later, Folpe et al. reported thirty-one additional cases with the same histopathologic features but yet lacking marked cytologic atypia and reclassified it as “giant cell tumor of low malignant potential” (5). In their article, Folpe et al emphasize that some tumors may show mitotic activity and vascular invasion. two additional major series of patients with GCtS have subsequently been reported (6,7). Recently, tumors with similar histopathologic features have been described in numerous different anatomic sites including extremities, trunk, breast, and skin (5-10). Although many uncommon locations have been reported, the disease is rarely present in the head and neck (7,11-16).