eMedicine Specialties > Dermatology > Malignant Neoplasms

Liposarcoma: Follow-up

Author: Robert A Schwartz, MD, MPH, Professor and Head, Dermatology, Professor of Pathology, Pediatrics, Medicine, and Preventive Medicine and Community Health, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
Coauthor(s): Matthew J Trovato, MD, Fellow, Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School; Santiago A Centurion, MD, Staff Physician, Department of Dermatology, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Jul 16, 2009

Follow-up

Prognosis

  • The prognosis is affected by the type of liposarcoma present.
    • The well-differentiated type and most myxoid types have favorable prognoses, with 100% and 88% 5-year survival rates, respectively. However, these tumors are poorly circumscribed and locally recur after incomplete excision. Although they rarely metastasize, repeated local recurrences may cause the tumor to evolve into a higher grade of sarcoma or to dedifferentiate, in which case metastasis is possible.
    • The form that a dermatologist is most likely to examine at biopsy is 1 of the 3 subtypes of a well-differentiated liposarcoma, that is, the lipomalike liposarcoma or atypical lipoma; the other 2, inflammatory and sclerosing, are less likely. The clinical outcome of this subtype is best predicted by the anatomical location. In the subcutis, lipomalike liposarcomas are often cured with local excision. Lipomalike liposarcomas rarely recur, and they do not metastasize. Use of the term atypical lipomatous tumor, a less serious designation for atypical lipoma, has been suggested.
    • Round-cell and poorly differentiated types have a poor prognosis. Each has a 5-year survival rate of about 50% because they recur locally and tend to metastasize quickly and widely. The lungs are particularly affected.
    • Despite high-grade morphology, cutaneous liposarcomas have a favorable clinical prognosis.
    • For soft tissue sarcoma involving the popliteal fossa, despite a high rate of microscopically positive margins, the local recurrence rate reported is only 7%.17

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • The misdiagnosis of a liposarcoma as a lipoma or another benign condition is a pitfall.

Special Concerns

  • Because cutaneous liposarcoma is extremely rare, the physician must rule out a metastatic lesion.
  • A case report describes liposarcoma complicating pregnancy.18
 


More on Liposarcoma

Overview: Liposarcoma
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Liposarcoma
Treatment & Medication: Liposarcoma
Follow-up: Liposarcoma
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Keywords

liposarcoma, atypical lipoma, atypical lipomatous tumors, malignancy of fat cells, soft-tissue sarcoma, soft tissue sarcoma, well-differentiated liposarcoma, dedifferentiated liposarcoma, myxoid liposarcoma, round cell liposarcoma, round-cell liposarcoma, pleomorphic liposarcoma, inflammatory liposarcoma, cutaneous liposarcoma, dermal liposarcoma

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Robert A Schwartz, MD, MPH, Professor and Head, Dermatology, Professor of Pathology, Pediatrics, Medicine, and Preventive Medicine and Community Health, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School
Robert A Schwartz, MD, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Dermatology, American College of Physicians, and Sigma Xi
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Matthew J Trovato, MD, Fellow, Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Santiago A Centurion, MD, Staff Physician, Department of Dermatology, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Santiago A Centurion, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association, and Sigma Xi
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Jacek C Szepietowski, MD, PhD, Professor, Vice-Head, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University; Director of the Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
Disclosure: Stiefel Salary Employment; Orfagen Consulting fee Consulting; Maruho Consulting fee Consulting; Astellas Consulting fee Consulting

Pharmacy Editor

David F Butler, MD, Professor of Dermatology, Texas A&M University College of Medicine; Chair, Department of Dermatology, Director, Dermatology Residency Training Program, Scott and White Clinic, Northside Clinic
David F Butler, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, American Society for MOHS Surgery, Association of Military Dermatologists, and Phi Beta Kappa
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Jeffrey P Callen, MD, Professor of Medicine, Chief, Division of Dermatology, University of Louisville School of Medicine
Jeffrey P Callen, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Dermatology, American College of Physicians, and American College of Rheumatology
Disclosure: Amgen Honoraria Consulting; Abbott Honoraria Consulting; Electrical Optical Sciences Honoraria Consulting; Centocor Honoraria Consulting; Medicis Honoraria Consulting; Celgene Honoraria Consulting

CME Editor

Catherine Quirk, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Brown University
Catherine Quirk, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha and American Academy of Dermatology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Dirk M Elston, MD, Director, Department of Dermatology, Geisinger Medical Center
Dirk M Elston, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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