A pedunculated giant esophageal liposarcoma: a case report and literature review.
[well-differentiated liposarcoma]
The majority of esophageal tumors arise from the mucosal layer; only 5Â % are of mesenchymal origins. Of the latter, barely 0.5Â % are liposarcomas. We present a case of an esophageal liposarcoma with a review of the literature.A 64-year-old male was referred with 5Â years of progressive dysphagia. Preoperative evaluation initially suggested a leiomyoma. The polypoid lesion was then resected through a cervical esophagotomy, once endoscopic resection proved to be not feasible. The definitive pathologic diagnosis confirmed a well-differentiated liposarcoma.Esophageal liposarcomas are very rare and only 40 such cases have been reported in the literature. Most patients were male (80Â %), the median age was 62Â years (range 38-83Â years), and the most common symptom was dysphagia (85Â %). Only in two cases was a liposarcoma detected on preoperative biopsy. The most common histological subtype was well-differentiated liposarcoma. Overall, 77.5Â % of the patients were successfully treated with surgery, 20Â % endoscopically, and 2.5Â % were ablated with CO2 laser.Esophageal liposarcoma is an extremely rare tumor. The majority of patients are males; dysphagia is the most common initial symptom, and preoperative biopsy is unreliable. Because these tumors are pedunculated, well-circumscribed, and well-differentiated, they can be safely resected locally. All patients need long-term follow-up as this disease can recur many decades after treatment.
