Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumour of Head and Neck: A Systematic Review Plus Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review with meta-analysis is aimed to examine clinical presentations, pathologic and imaging findings, treatment approaches, and prognosis of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour.

METHODS

PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Embase were systematically searched up to February 2026. The search strategy was structured by a combination of relevant keywords and medical subheadings. This review adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) statement.

RESULTS

A total of 22 studies, including 337 patients, met the inclusion criteria. Most of the tumours originated from the sinonasal space (40.1%, proportion = 163), and the maxilla bone and hypopharynx had the least frequency (0.3%, proportion = 1). The most prevalent manifestations were proptosis and facial pain/swelling. Regarding immunohistochemical findings, tumours were mostly positive for vimentin and SMA, while they were commonly negative for desmin, S-100, anaplastic lymphoma kinase, and CD34. Many patients were treated with surgical resection alone without any recurrence occurring. Recurrence occurred in 21.6% (proportion = 67). Metastases occurred in 8.8% (proportion = 8).

CONCLUSIONS

The diagnosis of head and neck inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour appears related to the presence of vimentin, SMA, desmin, anaplastic lymphoma kinase, CD34, and S-100 on immunohistochemistry. The enhancement pattern on computed tomography cannot help diagnosis, but absence of calcification may distinguish tumour from other differential diagnoses. Surgical resection with a free margin is the most common treatment approach. Metastasis and malignant transformation rarely occur in this tumour of the head and neck region.