Lipoblastoma: Diagnosis and surgical considerations

Abstract

Lipoblastoma (LB) and lipoblastomatosis (LBS) are uncommon benign mesenchymal tumors of embryonal fat, occurring almost exclusively in infancy and early childhood. These fast-growing tumors have an excellent prognosis if properly treated. Eight consecutive children having pathologically demonstrated LB treated by the same surgical team were retrospectively reviewed. There were 5 boys and 3 girls between 7 to 36 months (median age 22 months). The localization of the tumors was on the thigh (1 case), abdomen (2 cases), axillary and pectoral region (1 case) paragluteal region (1 case), lumbar area (1 case), inguinal-scrotal (1 case), and in one case, presacral, gluteal and perirectal region (1 case). Five were focal and in 3 cases an infiltrative growth pattern was observed. One case exhibited a gross appearance resembling sacrococcygeal teratoma, with associated Dravet syndrome. No recurrence was noted in our series, after a mean follow-up of 28 months post operatory. Despite its rareness, LB must be kept in mind when diagnosing a rapidly growing fatty mass in children. Even when dealing with very large abdominal LB, complete surgical excision is possible, with an excellent prognosis. Due to the relatively high recurrence rate noted in the literature, particularly in LBS, follow-up is extremely important.

Fetal Lipoblastoma Presenting as a Retroperitoneal Tumor in Adults: A Case Report

“…Its typical presentation is as a solitary soft palpable mass (47%), usually painless, or abdominal distention (29%) [9][10][11]. Most LB have a size of less than 5 cm [3].…”

Intrathoracic extension of a chest wall Lipoblastoma in an infant: A rare case report

“…It occurs almost always in infants and at a younger age, less than 3 years, and usually involves the extremities and torso [ 1 , 2 ]. Even if it has the capacity to grow rapidly, causing local invasion, it often has an excellent prognosis after complete surgical resection [ 3 ].…”

“…Overall, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a better describer of the internal features. CT (computed tomography) is superior for assessing internal calcifications and rib changes [ 3 ].…”

Lipoblastoma in one adult and 35 pediatric patients: Retrospective analysis of 36 cases

“…Lipoblastoma is a benign tumor of the embryonic white fat with a prevalence of ~0.6% of benign soft tissue tumors ( 1 ). It is the second most common childhood adipocyte tumor after lipoma and typically occurs in boys younger than three years of age ( 2 , 3 ). Lipoblastomas are often present in the extremities, trunk and head and neck, but they may also appear in the mediastinum, retroperitoneum, perineum and parotid gland ( 4 ).…”

“…Therefore, to gain a deeper understanding of the occurrence and development of lipoblastoma, changes in molecular structure and the effect of fusion genes on prognosis, the present study collected 36 cases of lipoblastoma in Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University over the past 7 years. Combined with evidence from international literature ( 1 , 3-6 , 8 , 17-20 , 25 , 26 ), the present study summarized clinical features, morphological changes, immunophenotype, FISH detection, diagnosis and differential diagnosis, to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and decrease the rate of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.…”