Clinical Features and Prognostic Factors of Primary Intracranial Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma: A Report of 8 Cases and a Literature Review

Objective Primary intracranial malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) is rare. We describe the detailed clinical features of 8 cases and fully review the literature to evaluate several prognostic factors. Methods Eight patients with pathologically confirmed primary intracranial MFH were retrospectively reviewed. We searched PubMed for relevant articles with the term “intracranial malignant fibrous histiocytoma”. Results Of the 8 patients, 4 were men and 4 were women. Three patients had received previous radiotherapy. The age of the patients ranged from 19 to 69 years, with a median age of 48 years. Most tumors could be totally resected; and only 1 tumor was subtotally resected. Six patients received postoperative radiotherapy and 3 patients received postoperative chemotherapy. Most patients died within the first year after surgery; and only 1 patient was still alive on the date of the last follow-up. We reviewed the literature and included a total of 46 patients in the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Young patients (less than 30 years old) seemed to have a better prognosis and survival rate than older patients (more than 30 years old) (log-rank test, P = 0.008). However, sex (P = 0.675), extent of resection (P = 0.934), postoperative radiotherapy (P = 0.592), and postoperative chemotherapy (P = 0.424) did not affect patient prognosis. Conclusions The prognosis of MFH is usually poor, and most patients die within the first year after surgery. Younger MFH patients (less than 30 years old) seem to have a better prognosis and improved survival compared to older patients.