Solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma arising from the posterior neck in the perivertebral space and treated with surgery and preoperative embolization

Abstract

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT)/hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a rare, slow growing vascular tumor. In the head and neck region, it is usually seen in the nasal or oral cavity, orbit, jaw, and parotid region. It has equal male to female distribution and affects mainly younger adults with median age of 45 years. According the World Health Organization, sometimes it is impossible to distinguish HPC from SFT and consequently, they are now classified as the same entity. The first line of treatment for this tumor is complete surgical removal with wide margins. In the head and neck area, wide margins can be very challenging and incomplete resection is associated with high rate of recurrence and malignant transformation. Embolization is a considerable option prior to excision, which helps reducing the tumor size and the risk of intraoperative hemorrhage. We describe a case of posterior neck solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma that was completely resected following particle embolization of the feeding artery.