Primary intrapulmonary solitary fibrous tumours

Due to the extreme rarity of primary intrapulmonary solitary fibrous tumours (SFTs), their clinical course, imaging characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis are poorly understood. The present study therefore assessed the diagnosis and management of primary intrapulmonary SFTs and systematically reviewed previously reported cases in the literature. A total of 5 patients who underwent resection for primary intrapulmonary SFTs were enrolled in the present study and their clinical course, tumour characteristics, management and survival were assessed in this retrospective study. Relevant studies regarding primary intrapulmonary SFTs were searched using PubMed and tumour characteristics, clinicopathologic features, therapeutic strategy and survival outcomes were reviewed. Of the 5 cases, all were males, with a mean age of 57.6 years (range, 37–68 years). All patients were asymptomatic and were identified incidentally on routine computed tomography examination. A total of 3 patients underwent thoracotomy and 2 patients underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. All tumours were completely resected. Postoperative haemorrhage occurred in 1 patient and he received surgical intervention for haemostasis. The average hospital stay was 15 (4–22) days, and no mortality occurred. The mean length of the postoperative follow-up was 37.6 (1–67) months. One patient was lost to follow-up, and 4 patients were asymptomatic. A total of 19 studies were identified from database searches. They included a total of 45 patients: Twenty-three males and 22 females (mean age, 59.4 years; range, 7–81 years). A total of 12 patients were asymptomatic, and pain and coughing were the major symptoms. Five, one, two, four, and 17 tumours occurred in the right upper lobe, right middle lobe, right lower lobe, left upper lobe and left lower lobe, respectively. A total of 39 patients underwent surgery, 1 patient underwent radiotherapy, and 1 patient underwent radiofrequency ablation. A total of 22 patients were followed up and the mean length of the postoperative follow-up was 48 (1–168) months. One patient was diagnosed with chest wall metastases, and 5 patients succumbed to mortality. To conclude, primary intrapulmonary SFTs are extremely rare and typically identified incidentally. The present findings indicated that the left lower lobe was the most common site location and complete surgical resection is a safe and effective treatment.