Myxoid liposarcoma. An electronmicroscopic study: biological and histogenetic considerations

Abstract

Ten myxoid liposarcomas (ML) were studied ultrastructurally in an attempt to determine the histogenesis of this neoplasm and structural associations which might contribute to their relatively benign clinical behavior. The findings were compared with normal and neoplastic adipose tissue. Three cell types were observed, i.e., "primitive" mesenchymal cells, intermediate cell types, and lipoblasts at various stages of development. The principle differences between the lipoblastic elements were the number and the size of intracytoplasmic fat vacuoles, the development of basement membrane-like material, micropinocytotic vesicles along the plasma membrane and the quantity and pleomorphism of mitochondria. The tumor vasculature was complex but consistently demonstrated a multilayered basal lamina. This finding has been described in neoplasms associated with a relatively good prognosis. This study demonstrates that the better differentiated lipoblasts in ML share some features with normal brown fetal fat and hibernoma. It is, thus, suggested that ML may be derived from brown adipose tissue.