Solitary Fibrous Tumors

Treatment

Treatment for solitary fibrous tumors differs, depending on where the tumor started to grow. The tumor's location will also determine which specialists provide treatment. Mayo's team approach means specialists work together to develop a treatment program tailored to your needs. When planning your treatment, doctors will consider your age and general health, as well as the type, grade and size of the tumor.

• Surgery. In most cases, doctors surgically remove the solitary fibrous tumors. If the tumor is cancerous (malignant), doctors may also remove nearby lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread (metastasized).
• Radiation therapy. When surgery is not an option, doctors may use radiation to destroy cancer cells and shrink the tumor. In some cases, radiation therapy paves the way for successful surgery for a tumor that doctors previously thought they couldn't remove. Sometimes doctors use radiation after surgery as well. They also may use intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) during surgery. Advanced radiation methods allow doctors to precisely aim for the tumor and avoid normal tissues next to it.
• Chemotherapy. Doctors use chemotherapy to treat solitary fibrous tumors only in rare cases in which the tumor has spread throughout the body. When a malignant solitary fibrous tumor involves the liver, doctors may use a special type of chemotherapy called chemoembolization (kee-moh-em-boh-lih-ZAY-shun), which supplies strong anti-cancer drugs directly to the liver.