Hard Fibroma

The hard fibroma (fibroma durum) consists of many fibres and few cells, e.g. in skin it is called dermatofibroma (fibroma simplex or nodulus cutaneous). A special form is the keloid, which derives from hyperplastic growth of scars.

Soft Fibroma

The soft fibroma (fibroma molle) or fibroma with a shaft (acrochordon, skin tag, fibroma pendulans) consist of many loosely connected cells and less fibroid tissue. It mostly appears at the neck, armpits or groins. The photo shows a soft fibroma of the eyelid.

Other types of fibroma

• The fibroma cavernosum or angiofibroma, consists of many often dilated vessels, it is a vasoactive tumor occurring almost exclusively in adolescent males.
• The cystic fibroma (fibroma cysticum) has central softening or dilated lymphatic vessels.
• The myxofibroma (fibroma myxomatodes) is produced by liquefaction of the underlying soft tissue.
• The cemento-ossifying fibroma is hard and fibrous, most frequently seen in the jaw or mouth, sometimes in connection with a fracture or another type of injury.
• Other fibromas: chondromyxoid fibroma, desmoplasmic fibroma, nonossifying fibroma, ossifying fibroma, perifollicular fibroma, pleomorphic fibroma etc.
• Ovarian fibroma appears in the sex cord-stromal tumour group of ovarian neoplasms. Ovary fibromas are most frequent during middle age, and rare in children. Upon gross pathological inspection, ovary fibromas are firm and white or tan. Variants with edema are especially likely to be associated with Meig's syndrome. On microscopic examination, there are intersecting bundles of spindle cells producing collagen. There may be thecomatous areas (fibrothecoma). The presence of an ovarian fibroma can cause ovarian torsion in some cases.

Treatment

Benign fibromas can be removed or left alone. A physician should examine the fibroma and determine whether it may be malignant. If there is any question as to whether it may be cancer-related, it should be removed. This is usually a brief outpatient procedure.