title: Axillary giant lipoma: a report of two cases and published work review.
abstract: Lipomas are common, benign, small-sized, soft-tissue tumors. However, giant lipomas are uncommon and the tumor size can cause pain and nerve compression syndrome. The axilla is an extremely rare location for development of giant lipomas. We report two cases of axillary giant lipoma. A 47-year-old man (case 1) and a 42-year-old woman (case 2) presented with a large mass in the axillary region. Case 2 had tenderness in the shoulder and numbness in the upper arm. Magnetic resonance imaging of each tumor showed a homogenous soft-tissue mass in the axillary region, suggestive of lipoma. In case 2, the tumor extended from the axilla to the supraclavicular region and split and compressed the neurovascular bundle. Each lesion was successfully excised surgically without serious complications and recurrence. In case 2, the tenderness and numbness disappeared. Histologically, each lesion was composed of multilobulated, mature adipose cells, which led to a diagnosis of benign lipoma. Axillary giant lipoma is preferably excised surgically to avoid damage caused by tumor compression to the major vessels or nerves, to offer better local control and to establish a correct final diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Skin Oncology/Dermatology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka, Saitama.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Teramoto
authors.forename: Sayuri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Katsuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Fujio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Otsuka
authors.forename: Akifumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001365:Axilla / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008067:Lipoma / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: axilla; brachial plexus; giant lipoma; liposarcoma; liposuction