title: Well-differentiated giant "lipoma-like" liposarcoma of the posterior mediastinum: a case report.
abstract: While liposarcoma is the most common malignant mesenchymal neoplasm in adults, a mediastinal position is rare. We describe here the case of a 74-year-old female with an hourglass-shaped mass in the posterior mediastinum, which was probably present on a roentgenogram 4 years earlier. On a CT scan of the chest, the mass appeared non-homogeneous with a mainly adipose content. A preoperative ultrasonically guided tru-cut transthoracic biopsy revealed the presence of adipose tissue with mildly atypical cytological features. The mass was therefore completely excised by means of a right thoracotomy. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient is alive and well and has had no recurrence in the 6 months since surgery. We review here the natural history, pathology, and prognosis of the disease, and discuss methods of diagnosis and management of such lesions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Santa Maria Nuova Hospital, Viale Risorgimento, 80-42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paci
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Franco
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cavazza
authors.forename: Valerio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Annessi
authors.forename: Guglielmo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Falco
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sgarbi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008067:Lipoma / Q000473:pathology; D008080:Liposarcoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery