Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Head & Neck: Case Report in Al-Ramadi General Hospital

Abstract

Abstract:Sarcoma in the head & neck area are rare. Management of soft tissue sarcoma in the head & neck is primarily surgical. However the critical anatomy of the head & neck limits the capacity to obtain wide surgical margins. This case report involves a patient who is a 54 years old woman who was referred to the maxillofacial department because of rapidly enlarging mass in the right side involving submandibular space, right cheek and temporal fossa and progressive pain complaint with hearing loss and trismus. Physical examination revealed large firm mass at the right side of the face occupying the submandibular space, infratemporal & temporal fossae, there was trismus, and no other abnormalities were found especially no mucosal lesion or swelling intraorally & no lymph node enlargement in the neck. MRI study was done to the head & neck to study the mass. CT-scan of the chest & abdomen did not show site of distant metastasis. Transoral biopsy through an incision in to the oral vestibule under local anesthesia showed on histopathological examination a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor. A surgical resection consisting of parotidectomy, hemimandibulectomy, infratemporal fossa dissection & temporal fossa dissection has been done. Histopathological examination of the surgical specimen revealed positive surgical margins. The patient refused to receive postoperative radiotherapy. Unfortunately 7months postoperatively she developed intracranial metastasis.Key ward: Soft tissue sarcoma