Fibroma of tendon sheath with 11q rearrangements

Fibroma of tendon sheath is an uncommon, benign fibroblastic tumor that usually occurs in the upper extremities of young and middle-aged adults. A clonal chromosomal aberration, t(2;11)(q31-32;q12), has been described in one case. We herein present a unique cytogenetic finding of fibroma of tendon sheath arising in the first web space of the right hand of a 38-year-old woman. Physical examination showed a 3.5-cm, firm, mobile, non-tender mass. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined soft tissue mass with iso- to slightly-low signal intensity relative to skeletal muscle on both T1- and T2-weighted sequences. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted sequences demonstrated moderate patchy enhancement of the mass. A fibroma or giant cell tumor of tendon sheath was suggested, and the lesion was marginally excised. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of fibroma of tendon sheath. Cytogenetic analysis revealed a novel t(9;11)(p24;q13-14) translocation among other karyotypic abnormalities. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient is doing well without local recurrence two months after surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is only the second report of fibroma of tendon sheath with clonal chromosomal abnormalities.