Table 1 Liposarcoma subtypes
From: Progressive dyspnea in patient with large mediastinal mass
Well-differentiated | Most common subtype (50% of liposarcomas) |
Mature adipocytes with large fatty vacuoles | |
None of a few lipoblasts | |
Infrequent mitosis | |
Variable myxomatous tissue with occasional dense hyaline sclerosis | |
Occasional spindle cells | |
Low grade with risk of dedifferentiation | |
Myxoid | Most common type in pediatric age group |
Immature mesenchymal giant cells in prominent mucopolysaccharide rich stroma | |
Lipoblasts with mitotic figures | |
Prominent vascularization of branching capillaries (chicken wire pattern) | |
Includes round-cell variant as its high-grade counterpart | |
Intermediate grade with metastatic risk especially in round-cell variant | |
Pleomorphic | Rarest type (5–10% of liposarcomas) |
Many lipoblasts with high mitotic rate | |
Highly anaplastic sarcoma | |
High grade with high risk of local recurrence and metastasis | |
May mimic carcinoma or melanoma | |
Dedifferentiated | Most common with retroperitoneal lesions |
High grade with very hight risk of metastasis |