Giant primary liposarcoma of the chest

Abstract

Liposarcomas are the most common soft tissue sarcomas in adults, although liposarcomas of the chest are uncommon. We report two cases of giant liposarcoma in the mediastinum and chest wall, respectively. An 82-year-old man presented with a mass in the right upper mediastinum, as seen by computed tomography (CT). He had a past history of subcutaneous lipoma resection on his back (19 years previously). The patient underwent tumor resection with a right thoracotomy. A 58-year-old woman presented with an enlarging mass of the right lateral chest, involving the diaphragm and ribs, as seen by CT. She had a past history of subcutaneous lipoma resection of the right chest (18 years previously). The patient underwent an en bloc resection that included the tumor and a part of the right diaphragm and ribs. Histological examination of both patients' tumors revealed a well-differentiated liposarcoma, with no pathological relation to the previous lipoma resected in either case.