Histiocytoses are a heterogenous group of disorders characterised by excessive proliferation of the histiocyte lineage. Some are reactive processes (for example cutaneous histiocytoma), some are malignant and others are very rare and therefore difficult to classify. This group of disorders also contains dendritic cell proliferations, while a relatively common malignant fibrous histiocytoma is classified among soft tissue tumors (because its histiocytic origin is not unequivocal).