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Case Reports
. 2023 Dec 15;10(12):e01242.
doi: 10.14309/crj.0000000000001242. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Primary Pancreatic Liposarcoma: An Unexpected Cause of a Pancreatic Mass

Natalie Wilson  1 , Abdulfatah Issak  1   2 , Khalid Amin  3 , Todd M Tuttle  4 , Guru Trikudanathan  1   2 , Shawn Mallery  1   2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Primary Pancreatic Liposarcoma: An Unexpected Cause of a Pancreatic Mass

Natalie Wilson et al. ACG Case Rep J. .

Abstract

Liposarcoma is the most common type of soft-tissue sarcoma and typically occurs in the extremities or retroperitoneum. Primary liposarcoma of the pancreas is exceedingly rare, with only 10 cases reported since 1979. We present a patient who was incidentally discovered to have a pancreatic mass on imaging, which was ultimately diagnosed as dedifferentiated pancreatic liposarcoma. We review the clinical and histologic features of pancreatic liposarcoma in this case and in the 10 previously reported cases to increase awareness and knowledge of this rare disease.

Keywords: liposarcoma; pancreatic liposarcoma; soft-tissue sarcoma.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
(A) A 10-cm lobulated mass is seen in the tail of the pancreas (arrow). (B) The mass can be seen extending into the hilum of the spleen and abuts the wall of the gastric fundus. Scattered internal calcifications are also seen.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
A large mass measuring 65 mm × 45 mm in diameter was seen in the pancreatic tail. It had scattered shadowing regions and poor through-transmission, precluding examination of deeper structures.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
(A) Cell block cytology specimen showing a spindle cell proliferation composed of bundles of spindle cells with relatively mild nuclear atypia and absence of well-differentiated liposarcoma component. This morphology is nonspecific (H&E stain, 20x magnification). (B) CDK4 immunostain on the cell block tissue showing positive staining of the tumor cells (20x magnification). (C) MDM2 immunostain on the cell block tissue showing positive nuclear staining of the tumor cells supporting the diagnosis of liposarcoma (20x magnification). (D) Resection specimen showing dedifferentiated component of liposarcoma with significant nuclear pleomorphism characterized by nuclear size variability, irregular nuclear membranes, and prominent nucleoli (H&E stain, 20x magnification). H&E, hematoxylin and eosin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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