Lipoblastoma of the Labia: A Case Report

Abstract

Background: Vulvar masses are rare in prepubertal girls. Lipoblastomas are benign adipose tumors that arise from embryonic white fat and occur almost exclusively in infants and children.

Case: An 18-month-old female infant presented with a 2-cm mobile mass in the left labia majora. Imaging and examination revealed normal prepubertal gynecologic structures and a 4.5 cm fatty mass in the left labia. Surgical excision revealed a 3.8 cm well circumscribed adipose tissue mass consistent with maturing lipoblastoma on microscopic examination. Cytogenetic analysis revealed 79,XXX [7]/46,XX[13], a near-triploid clone.

Summary and conclusion: The differential diagnosis of vulvar masses in children should include lipoblastoma. Although preoperative imaging has limited ability to differentiate lipomatous tumors, magnetic resonance imaging is the modality of choice for evaluating tumor extension and for surgical planning. Treatment is complete surgical excision with close follow-up for at least 5 years because of the high recurrence rate.

Keywords: Adipose tumor; Benign; Labia; Lipoblastoma; Pediatric; Soft tissue tumors.