Benign fibrous histiocytoma arising from the intercostal space

Benign fibrous histiocytoma is a tumor of unknown etiology that is believed to be of mixed fibroblastic and histiocytic origin. Deep benign fibrous histiocytomas are most commonly found in the lower limbs or the head and neck region; it is relatively rare that they are seen in the intercostal space. Only six case reports of this entity are described in the literature. We report a 20-year-old woman who suffered from a painless swelling in the left chest wall, with a computed tomographic correlation. The lesion was totally excised, and histopathology revealed a benign fibrous histiocytoma. This is the first case of a benign fibrous histiocytoma that arose from the intercostal space reported in the English-language literature. The six cases reported in the medical literature are also discussed.