Liposarcoma occurring in children. An analysis of 17 cases and review of the literature

Liposarcoma, one of the most common malignant mesenchymal neoplasms affecting adults, has rarely been documented to arise in children. Therefore, in this retrospective study, the clinicopathologic features of 17 liposarcomas retrieved from the files of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) which occurred in patients between the ages of eight months and 15 years were analyzed. In contrast to the slight male prevalence verified in most studies of adult liposarcoma, this group of 17 cases disclosed a distinct female majority (65%). The tumor had a predilection for the lower extremity (41%), particularly the thigh; the remaining examples, which included cases from the neck, back, axilla, buttock, and forearm, reflected a seemingly random anatomic distribution. The retroperitoneum, a very common primary location for adult liposarcoma, accounted for only one example in the group. The histologic variants of liposarcoma coincided with the types delineated in most generally accepted classifications employed for liposarcoma in adults, but their distribution varied considerably from that found in most extensive series of adult liposarcomas. Specifically, there were 13 myxoid liposarcomas, two well-differentiated liposarcomas, and one each of the round cell and mixed variants. Follow-up information, obtained for 15 cases, revealed local recurrence in three patients, one of whom eventually died as a result of direct tumor extension into the pleural cavity.