Ultrastructural heterogeneity in malignant fibrous histiocytoma of soft tissue

Five soft tissue sarcomas with histological features of malignant fibrous histiocytoma were selected to illustrate their ultrastructural heterogeneity. One case displayed the mixture of fibroblastic and histiocytic cells characteristic of the majority of malignant fibrous histiocytomas. In 1 case the tumor was composed entirely of primitive mesenchymal cells. The other 3 cases showed lipogenic, neurogenic, and "granular-cell" differentiation, respectively. These findings emphasize the important role of electron microscopy in the precise diagnosis and classification of malignant fibrous histiocytoma.