BACKGROUNDInflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is an uncommon disease which usually occurs in the lung. Recently, several reports have suggested that IMT is a true neoplasm rather than a reactive lesion. In this retrospective study, we reviewed clinicopathological characteristics and prognoses of patients with surgically resected IMT of the lung at our department.

METHODSFrom January 1999 to December 2003, 14 patients had surgical intervention for IMT of the lung at Tongji Hospital. The resected lesions were studied histologically and immunohistochemically. One to 5 years' follow-up was completed in all patients.

RESULTSThese 14 patients included eight men and six women. They ranged in age from 11 to 46 years old. Nine patients were asymptomatic. The other five symptomatic patients had cough, hemoptysis, and dyspnea. For all these patients, the diagnostic procedure was surgical excision. The resected tumor size ranged from 1.0 to 8.0 cm in diameter. Histologically, a variety of inflammatory and spindle cells were observed. The spindle cells corresponded ultrastructurally to myofibroblasts or fibroblasts. There was no recurrence in these patients, and all of them were in good health during the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONSHistopathologically, IMT is characterized by myofibroblasts which are mixed with chronic inflammatory cells, including plasma cells, lymphocytes, and histiocytes. Surgical resection, when possible, should be chosen as the first choice and complete resection leads to excellent survival.