Author(s)

A. Moreno, S. Casals, J.M. Gomez, Ll. Roig, J. Bartrina

Patient

female, 48 year(s)

The patient presented with general discomfort and upper right abdominal pain.

The patient presented with general discomfort and upper right abdominal pain. On physical examination paleness of the skin and a firm mass in her upper right abdomen was detected. Laboratory studies revealed microcytic anaemia. Radiological evaluation consisted of US and CT scanning.

Liposarcoma is a malignant tumour that usually arises in the legs, thighs or retroperitoneum of middle-aged and elderly patients. Mesenteric or peritoneal liposarcoma are rare.

The histological subtypes include well-differentiated, myxoid, pleomorphic and round-cell liposarcomas. The well-differentiated liposarcoma shows greater areas of fat that are detectable on CT and MRI. The predominant attenuation and signal intensity of the myxoid subtype is similar to water. The pleomorphic and round-cell subtypes, which are more agressimve tumours, appear as a heterogeneous, well or poorly delineated mass, with lesser amounts of fatty tissue. On occasion, attenuation and signal intensity characteristics of fat may be absent, and, in these cases, liposarcoma may be indistinguishable from other malignant soft-tissue tumours in which the predominant attenuation is solid. Calcification or ossification is rare.

The treatement is radical excision surgery with proper margins, even if an associated resection of visceral organs is necessary.

CT and MRI are useful diagnostic procedures, especially if significant amounts of fatty tissue are present, and are also important for accurate follow-up of operated patients.