Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) of the bone and soft tissue: a Japanese Musculoskeletal Oncology Group (JMOG) multi-institutional study

Purpose Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) of the bone and soft tissues are rare mesenchymal neoplasms, some of which are malignant. However, their clinical and pathological characteristics remain unclear. This study was performed to investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of PEComas in bone and soft tissues by leveraging information from the Japanese Musculoskeletal Oncology Group. Methods Nine patients, including four male and five female patients with a median age of 50 years, were retrospectively reviewed. PEComas of the visceral organs, including the uterus and retroperitoneum, were excluded. Results Eight tumors arose in the soft tissue and one in the bone, with a mean size of 8.8 cm. Four patients showed local recurrence or distant metastasis. The 1-year survival rate was 78%. Pathologically, eight tumors were classified as malignant and one as having uncertain malignancy potential. Half of the tumors showed high MIB-1 index values of > 30%. Immunohistochemically, the melanocyte marker HMB45 was expressed in 89% of the cases, and muscle-specific markers were expressed only in 30–50% of the cases. Transcription factor binding to IGHM enhancer 3 (TFE3) expression was positive in 100% of the patients. Tumors with high expression of TFE3 were classified as PEComas with malignant potential according to Folpe’s classification. Conclusions Bone and soft tissue PEComas may have a higher malignancy potential than other visceral PEComas and are more likely to develop as TFE3-rearranged PEComas.