A rare cause of mediastinal mass: Primary liposarcoma

Abstract

Liposarcoma is the most commonly diagnosed soft tissue sarcoma in adults and occurs predominantly in the lower limbs and retroperitoneum. Primary mediastinal liposarcomas are rare. Herein we report a case of a 68-year-old man with primary mediastinal liposarcoma involving the diaphragm and pericardium, which was successfully managed by complete surgical excision. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful with no evidence of recurrence 9 months after the operation. Surgical removal is the optimal treatment for a mediastinal liposarcoma, as it is in other sites. If the entire tumor can not be resected, surgical debulking often results in symptomatic relief. International literature suggests that recurrent disease occurs and therefore a long-term careful follow up is required.