Neck metastasis of a myxoid liposarcoma of the lower extremity

Metastatic myxoid liposarcomas: imaging and histopathologic findings

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to describe the imaging and histopathologic characteristics of metastatic myxoid liposarcomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board and complied with HIPAA guidelines. The study group comprised 12 patients with metastatic myxoid liposarcoma who underwent MRI, CT, or FDG-PET. The location and imaging characteristics of the metastatic lesions were recorded, and the histopathology of all metastatic lesions was reviewed.

RESULTS

There were 23 histologically proven metastases in 12 patients. Based on imaging criteria, there were 41 metastases. The mean time from the diagnosis of primary tumor to the first metastasis was 4.4 years. Sixty-seven percent of patients had bone and soft tissue metastases, 33% had pulmonary metastases, 33% had liver metastases, 25% had intra-abdominal, and 16% retroperitoneal metastases. CT demonstrated well-defined lobulated masses with soft tissue attenuation in all cases, without macroscopic fat component. In cases of osseous metastases, CT showed mixed lytic and sclerotic foci, with bone destruction in advanced cases. MRI demonstrated fluid-like signal intensity with mild heterogeneous enhancement in cases of soft tissue metastases. In osseous metastases, MRI showed avid heterogeneous enhancement. FDG-PET showed no significant FDG uptake for all metastases. MRI was the most useful imaging modality for osseous and soft tissue metastases.

CONCLUSION

Myxoid liposarcomas are soft tissue sarcomas, with a high prevalence of extrapulmonary metastases. The bones and soft tissues were the most common site of involvement, followed by the lungs and liver. MRI was the most sensitive modality in the detection of osseous and soft tissue metastases, and is the recommended modality for the diagnosis and follow-up of bone and soft tissue involvement.

High-grade liposarcoma metastatic to the gingival mucosa: case report and literature review

Liposarcoma is the most common family of soft tissue sarcomas and occurs most often in the extremities and retroperitoneum. Primary liposarcoma of any subtype is relatively rare in the tissues of the head and neck, and metastatic liposarcoma is even more unusual. This report describes a recent case of a metastatic high-grade liposarcoma presenting on the dental alveolus. English-language publications on metastatic liposarcoma to the head and neck region are reviewed with an emphasis on the types of therapies used and the resultant outcomes.