Pleomorphic Liposarcoma Revisited

Primary pleomorphic liposarcoma involving bilateral ovaries: Case report and literature review

Pleomorphic liposarcomas (PLPSs) commonly occur in the extremities or retroperitoneum. However, cases of primary PLPSs in the female reproductive system are rare, with only one reported case in the ovary. Herein, we describe the case of a patient with primary PLPS involving bilateral ovaries. She presented with a 2-month history of abdominal pain, and underwent total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, and excision of surface lesions on the bladder and rectum. Intraoperatively, nitrogen mustard (2%) was used to rinse the abdominal cavity. One week postoperatively, she was administered the first cycle of postoperative cisplatin chemotherapy for intraperitoneal heat infusion chemotherapy plus intravenous liposomal paclitaxel. Postoperative histopathological examination revealed primary PLPS involving both ovaries. Therefore, a doxorubicin liposomal chemotherapy regimen was administered according to the soft tissue sarcoma NCCN guidelines. The patient's CA-125 levels decreased from 987 to 9.8 U/mL; however, after two chemotherapy sessions, she declined further treatment. The patient was still being followed-up and had no signs of recurrence at the time of writing this report. PLPS tends to be misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed due to its complex pathology and the lack of specific molecular markers. The disease is infrequent in the female reproductive system, and there is no consensus on its diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines. Herein, we summarized the findings of published case reports of PLPSs in organs of the female reproductive system to raise awareness of the disease and discussed its diagnosis, clinical treatment, and prognosis.

"Enhancing Liposarcoma Prognosis - A New Predictive Scoring System Integrating Histopathological Insights"

Introduction

Liposarcomas are malignant soft tissue tumours with heterogeneous features and variable prognosis. Each entity comprised in this group displays distinct morphology and harbours specific genetic alterations, which correlate with clinical behaviour and therapy response. The aim of this study is to analyse the clinical and histopathological features that can influence the prognosis of liposarcoma. We also present a newly designed scoring system that could be useful for predicting the risk of disease progression and death in patients with different liposarcoma subtypes.

Materials and Methods

We carried out a retrospective multicentric study on 77 liposarcomas diagnosed between 2009 and 2023 that were followed up to assess the presence of metastases and survival of the patients. We evaluated the age, gender, tumour location and dimensions, histological subtype, mitotic index, presence and percentage of necrosis, and their association with disease progression and survival.

Results

In this respect, progression-free survival was positively associated with lower mitotic index, somatic soft-tissue localization, well-differentiated and myxoid subtypes and absence of necrosis. Overall survival was negatively influenced by older age, higher mitotic index, dedifferentiated and pleomorphic subtypes and the presence of necrosis. Therefore, several clinical and histopathological features of liposarcomas, such as tumour location, mitotic index, and tumour necrosis can strongly predict the disease evolution.

Discussion

This study focuses on developing a new scoring system that considers histologic subtype, mitotic index, and tumour necrosis as indicators that could predict the risk of disease progression and overall survival in patients with liposarcoma. The system classifies liposarcomas of any histological subtype into low-risk and high-risk tumours. Diagnosing liposarcomas using this two-tiered system could be useful for providing personalized therapy, in order to avoid relapses, metastases and improve the disease's prognosis.

Molecular characteristics and systemic treatment options of liposarcoma: A systematic review

Liposarcoma (LPS) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma that develops from the differentiation of fat cells, typically occurring in the lower extremities and retroperitoneal space. Depending on its histological morphology and molecular changes, LPS can be divided into various subtypes, each exhibiting distinct biological behaviors. During treatment, especially for LPS arising in the retroperitoneum, the extent and quality of the initial surgery are critically important. Treatment strategies must be tailored to the specific type of LPS. Over the past few decades, the treatment of LPS has undergone numerous advancements, with new therapeutic approaches such as targeted drugs and immunotherapies continually emerging. This paper reviews the biological characteristics, molecular alterations, as well as surgical and pharmacological treatments of various LPS subtypes, with the aim of enhancing clinicians' understanding and emphasizing the importance of individualized precision therapy. With a deeper understanding of the biological characteristics and molecular alterations of LPS, future treatment trends are likely to focus more on developing personalized treatment plans to better address the various types of LPS.

Pleomorphic Liposarcoma Unraveled: Investigating Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Markers for Tailored Diagnosis and Therapeutic Innovations

Liposarcomas are some of the most challenging soft tissue tumors and are subclassified into multiple subtypes with special histologic and molecular features. The peculiarities of each histopathological subtype influence the clinical behavior, management, and treatment of these neoplasms. For instance, well-differentiated liposarcomas are common soft tissue malignancies and usually display a favorable outcome. On the other hand, pleomorphic liposarcoma is the rarest, yet the most aggressive subtype of liposarcoma. This histopathological diagnosis may be challenging due to the scarce available data and because pleomorphic liposarcomas can mimic other pleomorphic sarcomas or other neoplasms of dissimilar differentiation. Nevertheless, the correct diagnosis of pleomorphic liposarcoma is of utmost importance as such patients are prone to develop local recurrences and metastases. Treatment usually consists of surgical excision along with radiotherapy and follow-up of the patients. Therefore, this review aims to assess the complex clinical, histological, and immunohistochemical features of liposarcomas in order to establish how these characteristics influence the management and prognosis of the patients, emphasizing the particularities of pleomorphic liposarcoma.

Factors Influencing Long-Term Local Recurrence, Distant Metastasis, and Survival in Patients with Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Extremities Treated with Radiotherapy

INTRODUCTION

The prognostic factors for extremity soft-tissue sarcomas (ESTSs) treated with multimodal surgery and radiotherapy (RT) remain a subject of debate across diverse and heterogeneous studies.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed nonmetastatic ESTS patients treated with RT between 2007 and 2020 in Strasbourg, France. We assessed local control (LC), distant control (DC), overall survival (OS), and complications.

RESULTS

A total of 169 patients diagnosed with localized ESTS were included. The median age was 64 years (range 21-94 years). ESTS primarily occurred proximally (74.6%) and in the lower limbs (71%). Most tumors were grade 2-3 (71.1%), deep-seated (86.4%), and had R0 margins (63.9%). Most patients were treated with helical tomotherapy (79.3%). The median biologically effective dose (BED) prescribed was 75 BEDGy4 (range 45.0-109.9). The median follow-up was 5.5 years. The 5- and 10-year LC, DC, and OS rates were 91.7%, 76.8%, and 83.8% and 84.2%, 74.1%, and 77.6%, respectively. According to the univariate analysis, LC was worse for patients who received less than 75 BEDGy4 (p = 0.015). Deep tumors were associated with worse OS (p < 0.05), and grade 2-3 and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) were linked to both shorter DC and shorter OS (p < 0.05). IMRT was associated with longer LC than 3DRT (p = 0.018). Multivariate analysis revealed that patients with liposarcoma had better OS (p < 0.05) and that patients with distant relapse had shorter OS (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

RT associated with surgical resection was well tolerated and was associated with excellent long-term rates of LC, DC, and OS. Compared with 3DRT, IMRT improved local control. Liposarcoma was a favorable prognostic factor for OS. Intermediate- and high-grade tumors and deep tumors were associated with lower DC and OS.

Metastatic Epithelioid Pleomorphic Liposarcoma in the Brain: A Case Report

Metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (STS) to the brain is rare, and metastatic pleomorphic liposarcoma (PLPS) to the brain is even rarer. We present the case of a 76-year-old male with an incidental finding of a brain mass on a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) following a head injury. Additionally, multiple pulmonary nodules and a right gluteal mass were discovered. A core biopsy of the right gluteal mass revealed an epithelioid malignant neoplasm expressing transcription factor enhancer 3 (TFE3) by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Subsequently, the left middle fossa brain mass was removed and found to be an epithelioid PLPS, which was positive for TFE3 by IHC but lacked TFE3 rearrangement by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and negative for murine double minute (MDM2) amplification by FISH. The diagnosis of epithelioid PLPS mainly relies on histomorphology. This paper discusses the clinicopathological correlation of PLPS, including the epithelioid variant, with a focus on cases with brain metastases.

Rare Pleomorphic Liposarcoma Presented as Jejunal Obstruction

Pleomorphic liposarcoma (PLS) is typically found in the lower and upper extremities. PLS arising in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is extremely rare. Here, we reported a case of a 71-year-old female with a history of rectal adenocarcinoma presenting with small bowel obstruction. Small bowel resection was performed and revealed a 7.8 cm transmural mass in the jejunum. Histology reviewed a heterogenous epithelioid malignant tumor with intracytoplasmic fatty droplets scalloping the nucleus consistent with lipoblasts in some cells and others with numerous PAS/diastase+intracytoplasmic eosinophilic globules. Scattered multinucleated giant cells were also present. Mitotic count was up to 80/10 HPFs including some bizarre mitotic figures, and Ki67 proliferation index was approximately 60%. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the malignant cells were negative for pancytokeratin, CD117, DOG1, SMA, desmin, MyoD1, ERG1, CD34, CD31, SOX10, Melan A, and S100. INI1 was retained. Beta-catenin showed normal membranous staining. P53 was diffusely positive suggestive of mutant phenotype. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay was negative for MDM2 amplification and DDIT3 rearrangement. The overall morphologic and immunohistochemical features supported a diagnosis of high-grade pleomorphic liposarcoma. Diagnosis of PLS can be challenging due to its rarity in GI tract and lack of specific biomarkers, and histomorphology with identification of lipoblasts remains the gold standard.