title: Well-differentiated liposarcoma arising in the parapharyngeal space: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Liposarcomas rarely occur in the parapharyngeal space and only a few case reports exist. For curative therapy of liposarcoma, surgical excision remains the dominant modality. Although a wide surgical margin is important to prevent local recurrence, wide excision is often difficult in the head and neck region.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report a case of a 19-year-old female with a well-differentiated liposarcoma arising in the parapharyngeal space. We removed the tumour surgically utilising a cervical-parotid approach. The histological diagnosis was well-differentiated sclerosing liposarcoma. There is no recurrence after five years and nine months of follow up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The patient's age and the tumour site made it difficult for us to make a quantitative diagnosis before the operation. Well-differentiated liposarcoma rarely develop distant metastasis, but often recur locally. The benefit of adjuvant radiotherapy for well-differentiated liposarcoma is still not clear and careful and long-term follow up is necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Yamaguchi Red Cross Hospital,Yamaguchi,Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University,Fukuoka,Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery,Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Fukuoka Red Cross Hospital,Fukuoka,Japan.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Ekisaikai Moji Hospital,Fukuoka,Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nariyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University,Fukuoka,Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komune
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008080:Liposarcoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Surgical approach