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CASE REPORT article

Front. Oncol.

Sec. Skin Cancer

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1403881

This article is part of the Research Topic Management of Rare Oncological Cases View all 62 articles

Cutaneous Histiocytic Sarcoma Arising from Soft Tissue Filler Injections: A Case Report

Provisionally accepted
Jangyoun Choi Jangyoun Choi Eunjeong Ko Eunjeong Ko Jong Yun Choi Jong Yun Choi Suk-Ho Moon Suk-Ho Moon Deuk Young Oh Deuk Young Oh Young-Joon Jun Young-Joon Jun *
  • Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The administration of soft-tissue fillers is a popular aesthetic procedure.Nonetheless, it can result in complications such as foreign-body reactions, infections, skin necrosis, granulomas, and even malignant transformation. This case study documents an unusual occurrence of sarcoma following a prior cosmetic injection.Case Report: A male patient, aged 76, presented with facial swelling. He received filler injections from a non-professional aesthetician twenty-five years ago. The patient reported a slow downward movement of the injected material, recurring inflammation, and the development of multiple nodules. An excisional biopsy and tissue culture were conducted, which did not identify any microorganisms but did reveal a dense infiltration of large polygonal cells with pleomorphic nuclei. The diagnosis of histiocytic sarcoma(HS) was confirmed through immunohistochemistry. A comprehensive systemic examination, including contrast MRI and PET-CT, identified multiple nodular soft tissue lesions in the subcutaneous layer of the face and intense metabolic activity in the same nodular lesions. Metabolic activities were also observed in the abdominal wall, indicating a potential migration of the injected material. Following diagnosis, all remaining lesions in the forehead, nose, and abdomen were surgically excised. Due to the complete nature of the excision, adjuvant chemoradiation was not administered.This case underscores the serious complication that can result from unauthorized filler injections, including the extremely rare histiocytic sarcoma. It emphasizes the necessity of cautious follow-up and patient education in aesthetic procedures.

    Keywords: Histiocytic Sarcoma, Foreign-Body Reaction, Fillers, tumorigenesis, Injection site reaction

    Received: 20 Mar 2024; Accepted: 04 Mar 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Choi, Ko, Choi, Moon, Oh and Jun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Young-Joon Jun, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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