Synonyms
None
Definition
Liposarcomas may occur either in the anterior or the posterior mediastinum (Hahn and Fletcher 2007; Klimstra et al. 1995; Ortega et al. 2014). Tumors of the anterior mediastinum may grow in intimate association with the thymus. Presenting symptoms are related to compression exerted by a tumor on the adjacent anatomic structures; they include shortness of breath as well as cough or palpitation. However about one third of cases are discovered incidentally. Like lipomas, liposarcomas have also been described in obese patients with systemic lipomatosis.
Clinical Features
Incidence
Exact figures are not available; however, MLS are considered uncommon tumors accounting for less than 1% of all mediastinal tumors.
Age
Patients are mostly adults, with rare cases documented in the pediatric age.
Sex
No sex predilection.
Site
Commonly seen in the anterior mediastinum; however, cases have been recently described in the posterior sector.
Treatment
Complete surgical excision...
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References and Further Reading
Hahn, H. P., & Fletcher, C. D. (2007). Primary mediastinal liposarcoma: Clinicopathologic analysis of 24 cases. American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 31(12), 1868–1874.
Klimstra, D. S., Moran, C. A., Perino, G., Koss, M. N., & Rosai, J. (1995). Liposarcoma of the anterior mediastinum and thymus. A clinicopathologic study of 28 cases. American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 19(7), 782–791.
Ortega, P., Suster, D., Falconieri, G., Zambrano, E., Moran, C. A., Morrison, C., et al. (2014). Liposarcomas of the posterior mediastinum: Clinicopathologic study of 18 cases. Mod Pathol, 28(5), 721–731.
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Falconieri, G. (2018). Liposarcoma, Mediastinal. In: Allen, T.C., Suster, S. (eds) Pathology of the Pleura and Mediastinum. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66796-6_29
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66796-6_29
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