title: Rare case of a liposarcoma in the brachial plexus.
abstract: Introduction A liposarcoma is a rare cancer of connective tissues that resemble fat cells under light microscopy. Case History A 73-year old female patient presented to our tertiary cancer centre with an eight-year history of a large, slow-growing painless mass in the right axilla. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a lipomatous, well-circumscribed mass of dimension 30 × 16 × 10cm extending towards the right clavicle and causing deformation to the right chest wall and right breast. Surgery revealed a large tumour that had stretched all three cords of the brachial plexus. Histopathology was consistent with a diagnosis of a low-grade liposarcoma. After a period of neuropraxia, the patient returned to normal activities 4 months after surgery. Conclusions Although extremely rare, low-grade liposarcomas of the brachial plexus should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a slow-growing axillary mass. Referral to a tertiary sarcoma centre is essential for an appropriate diagnosis, adequate treatment, and long-term follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Christie NHS Foundation Trust , UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kosutic
authors.affiliation: Christie NHS Foundation Trust , UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gajanan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001917:Brachial Plexus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008080:Liposarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010524:Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Axillary mass; Brachial plexus; Low-grade liposarcoma