Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor: variable presentation of the same pathology

Abstract

The inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is an infrequent benign neoplasm with unpredictable clinical behavior.

Objectives: to describe three clinical cases at the San Borja Arriarán Clinical Hospital between March 2014 and January 2018 and to carry out an updated review of the literature.

Case 1: 14-year-old male adolescent, hospitalized due to abdominal pain, diagnosed with jejunojejunal intussusception secondary to an intestinal wall tumor. The histology was compatible with an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor.

Case 2: 12-year-old female adolescent, hospitalized due to pneumonia and low-back pain under study associated with weight loss. A retroperitoneal mass was diagnosed involving the right psoas muscle, paravertebral muscles, vertebrae, right kidney, and ipsilateral diaphragm. A puncture biopsy was performed and the result was compatible with an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor.

Case 3: 11-year-old female pre-adolescent, hospitalized to study recurrent urinary tract infection. A bladder tumor was identified, and the biopsy showed compatibility with inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor.

Conclusion: Due to the variable behavior of the inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, its management will depend on the location, expression of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), tumor behavior, and the resection possibility.