Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the left parotid gland: a case report

Abstract

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, formerly known as malignant fibrous histiocytoma, was previously the most common type of soft-tissue sarcoma in adults (40 %). Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas or malignant fibrous histiocytomas comprise a group of high-grade pleomorphic sarcomas that cannot be otherwise classified. After a re-classification, the term malignant fibrous histiocytoma became a diagnosis of exclusion. It was first recognized as a distinct clinicopathologic entity in the early 1960s as pleomorphic sarcoma. In the head and neck, malignant fibrous histiocytoma is extremely rare and accounts for only 3 % of all undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas. We report an unusual case of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma involving the left parotid gland in a 19-year-old male patient.