Benign Fibrous Histiocytoma of the Lip: Report of a Case

Eun, Seok Chan; Burm, Jin Sik; Oh, Suk Joon; Chung, Chul Hoon; Kim, Ju Bong

Abstract

A fibrous histiocytoma(sclerosing hemangioma, dermatofibroma) is a benign skin lesion which has a predilection for the lower extremities. It varies in appearance from a depressed pigmented area to an elevated purplish brown or whitish lesion. It arises from the dermis or subcutaneous tissue, and the size varies from several millimeters to several centimeters. We report a rare case of lower lip fibrous histiocytoma in a 55-year-old woman who was noted to face slowly growing well-defined whitish nodular lesion on the lower lip after insect bite. We performed elliptical mass excision and primary closure. Histiologically, the tumor showed epidermal hyperplasia and extensive proliferation of fibroblastic cells which were uniform in shape and size. The tissue pattern was storiform and whorled, and scattered foamy histiocytes(xanthoma cells) were noted. This is a very rare case in which a benign fibrous histiocytoma occurred rapidly on the lower lip following an insect-bite episode and it supports the view that the lesion develops by a secondary immune-reactive mechanism rather than primary neoplastic process.