Abstract :
Liposarcoma is the most prevalent soft tissue malignant tumour. It mostly arises in the subcutaneous tissue
of shoulders, limbs and neck, and retroperitoneal space. Atypical lipomatous tumour (ALT) is a welldifferentiated
liposarcoma (WDLPS) and constitutes 40–45% of all liposarcoma cases. They are locally
invasive mesenchymal soft tissue tumours. Most of them are large in size. They have heterogeneous
histomorphology, molecular and genetic characteristics, and clinical prognosis, making the diagnosis and
treatment of difficult for surgeons.
A case of 45-year-old woman with a tumour of the right axilla, causing a discreet asymmetry is
presented. The tumour was soft and caused no tenderness. The patient reported no previous injury
to the region. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) revealed atypical lipomatous cells suspected of
liposarcoma. The patient was operated under general anaesthesia. The postoperative course was uneventful.
The final histopathological diagnosis – was atypical lipomatous tumour/well-differentiated liposarcoma
(ALT/WDLPS). ALT/WDLPS is a locally invasive tumour with a good prognosis. However delayed
treatment is associated with an increase in tumour size, which can affect mobility. Therefore, to avoid
possible local recurrence, extensive surgical resection of tumour tissue with wide margins is a desirable
treatment for all ALT/WDLPS cases. Besides, for ALT/WDLPS tumours that are difficult to extensively
excise, long-term follow-ups are necessary due to the possibility of recurrence.
Keyword :
Liposarcoma, Atypical lipomatous tumour, Well-differentiated liposarcoma, FNAC, well-differentiated/dedifferentiated, MDM2