This large fleshy mass arose in the retroperitoneum and is an example of a sarcoma. Sarcomas arise within mesenchymal tissues. This one happened to be a "malignant fibrous histiocytoma" which is a wastebasket term for sarcomas that do not resemble mesenchymal cells such as striated muscle (rhabdomyosarcoma), smooth muscle (leiomyosarcoma), fat (liposarcoma), blood vessels (angiosarcoma), bone (osteosarcoma), or cartilage (chondrosarcoma). Sarcomas tend to be big and bad.

---