Giant mediastinal liposarcoma: a case report.

Liposarcomas are extremely rare in the mediastinum. They may achieve considerable size before causing any symptoms. Mediastinal liposarcomas may invade surrounding structures like the pericardium or the superior vena cava. Complete surgical excision is the optimal treatment in resectable cases. Excision of adjacent structures like the pericardium may be needed if the tumor infiltrates them. We report on a case of a giant liposarcoma of the mediastinum involving both hemithoraces and extending into the neck, which was successfully managed by complete surgical excision.     

Second chondrosarcoma of the rib four years after the initial operation; report of a case

Chondrosarcoma of rib origin is rare accounting for about 2% of all chondrosarcomas. A 63-year-old female with an anterior chest wall tumor was referred to our institution for surgical treatment of a 2nd chondrosarcoma in the right 2nd rib 4 years after the initial surgery for its primary lesion. Computed tomography (CT) showed a low density mass, 36 mm in diameter, arising from the 2nd rib. An extended excision of the chest wall including the tumor was performed followed by the reconstruction of the chest wall with double Marlex Mesh. As she had already undergone the reconstruction of the chest wall for its primary lesion, this reconstruction was her 2nd one. Nevertheless, her respiratory condition was well preserved with no significant chest deformity. Wide excision and reconstruction could be performed for the 2nd arising chondrosarcoma of the rib even after the initial lesion was already widely removed and reconstructed.     

Local recurrence of liposarcoma of the spermatic cord 6 years after orchiectomy: a case report

A 78-year-old man had undergone high inguinal orchiectomy because of a tumor of the right spermatic cord. Pathological diagnosis was pleomorphic liposarcoma according to the WHO classification. Adjuvant therapy was not performed because of advanced age. Six years later, he consulted our hospital with the chief complaint of asymptomatic swelling of the right scrotal region. Local recurrence was suspected, and tumorectomy was performed. Pathological diagnosis was pleomorphic liposarcoma with cartilaginous metaplasia. A review of 6 cases of recurrent intrascrotal liposarcoma reported in Japan, including the present case, revealed that 5 cases recurred locally in the same lesion and were growing slowly. Therefore, we considered that intrascrotal liposarcoma should be resected as extensively as possible and observed for a long period.     

A case of mediastinal liposarcoma]

Primary liposarcomas of the mediastinum are rare neoplasms comprising only 0.13-0.75% of mediastinal tumors. We report a case of liposarcoma arising in the right posterior mediastinum. A 74-year-old man without symptoms was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of an abnormal shadow on chest roentgenogram. Computed tomogram (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a mediastinal tumor. The tumor was surgically removed, and the diagnosis of well-differentiated liposarcoma was established. MR imaging was superior to CT in evaluation of tumor extent, but not in differential diagnosis as liposarcoma or lipoma.     

Mediastinal lymph node metastasis of thyroid cancer occurring 15 years after the initial operation; report of a case

A 71-year-old woman was found to have an abnormal shadow on a chest X-ray. Fifteen years earlier she had undergone a subtotal thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer without any lymph node metastasis. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a mediastinal tumor with full of blood stream. Since the positron emission tomography (PET) disclosed an increased uptake of fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) in the tumor, a malignant lymphatic tumor was therefore suspected. An immunohistological examination of biopsy specimens taken by thoracoscopic procedure demonstrated tumor to be lymph node metastasis of the previous thyroid cancer. After a tumor resection by means of a thoracotomy and total thyroidectomy, the patient was scheduled to receive radioiodine therapy. The previously reported cases are also herein reviewed.     

Primary mediastinal liposarcoma. A report of a case and review of the literature

A case of primary liposarcoma of the mediastinum with a review of the literature is presented. Liposarcomas may attain a large mass and exhibit various kinds of clinical symptoms according to their localisation. Histological typing is very important in determining the type and extent of therapy. Surgical excision of the tumour is the therapy of choice in all cases. Radiotherapy may be of value for the palliation of unresectable cases.     

Retroperitoneal liposarcoma: a case report

We report a case of retroperitoneal liposarcoma. A 66-year-old male was referred to our hospital for a retroperitoneal tumor that was detected during gallbladder stone examination. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed an extrarenal lipomatous tumor, 20 x 14 x 8 cm in size, in the right retroperitoneal space. He underwent surgical excision of the tumor with concomitant resection of the right kidney and adrenal gland. The resected tissue weighed 730 g. Histological examination revealed a well differentiated liposarcoma. He received no adjuvant therapy.     

A resected case of recurrent carcinoma of the right colon ten years after the initial operation

A 59 year-old female complained of right lower abdominal mass. She underwent radical operation 10 years ago for the right colonic cancer staged Dukes C. She had passed 10 years without any sign or symptom of recurrence. She noticed a egg-sized tumor in the right lower abdomen unexpectedly one month ago when she got a bruise on that region, and then the tumor grew rapidly. Preoperative examinations, including barium enema, abdominal computerized tomography and so on, suggested a extraluminal tumor with infiltration to the colon. Laparotomy revealed that the tumor originated from the right paracolic gutter. The tumor sized 18 X 11 X 8 cm was resected and histological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma with the similar structural pattern to the initial specimen. On the basis of both operations and histological findings, we concluded that free tumor cells might be implanted in the large raw surface of the right dorsolateral abdominal wall, which was created by surgical incision at the initial operation, and subsequently appeared as a local recurrence after 10 years interval.     

Inguinal lymph node metastasis of seminoma 18 years after initial treatment: a case report

Late relapse of testicular tumor is rare. We report a case of recurrence of seminoma at left inguinal lymph node 18 years after initial treatment. A 63-year-old man had a left orchiectomy for left testicular tumor (T1N0M0) in February 1985, with no past history of scrotal or inguinal surgery. Histological examination revealed seminoma (pT1), and prophylactic radiotherapy (34.2 Gy) to para-aortic and left hemi-pelvic regions was perfomed. In November 2003, the patient presented with left inguinal swelling, and was referred to our hospital with suspicion of metastasis to left inguinal lymph nodes. Serum markers (AFP, hCG, hCGbeta and LDH) were normal. Computerized tomography (CT) showed three masses in the left inguinal region, but no other abnormal mass was detected at chest, abdomen or pelvis. Lymphoidectomy of the left inguinal region was perfomed in January 2004, and the mass revealed to be metastasis of seminoma by histological examination.     

The retroperitoneal liposarcoma: a case report

A 62-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of a mass in the right abdomen. Ultrasonography, aortography and computed tomographic (CT) scanning revealed the right kidney displaced by a huge and avascular mass containing fatty tissue. Also magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) indicated that it was contained of lipomatous tissue and demonstrated the mass occupying the entire right abdominal cavity. The tumor including the right kidney was resected, following diagnosis of the retroperitoneal tumor. The exercised tumor measured 28 X 22 X 18 cm and weighed 2,010g. The histological diagnosis was well-differentiated liposarcoma. She has been healthy for three months following postoperative chemotherapy. Many reports have been made on the ultrasonographic and CT appearance of retroperitoneal liposarcoma, but few have been made on the MRI appearance. According to our case, imaging diagnosis by MRI also seems to be useful in making a histological diagnosis of liposarcoma.     

Retroperitoneal dedifferentiated liposarcoma: a case report

A 64 year-old female visited our outpatient clinic with left dull flank pain. The ultrasonography and CT scans showed the large solid mass in 12 cm in maximum diameter, containing large area of fatty element, in the left retroperitoneal space. Under the diagnosis of retroperitoneum liposarcoma, the mass and left kidney was completely removed. Pathological examination revealed the dedifferentiated liposarcoma which contained the distinct two patterns of well differentiated lipoma and dedifferentiated fibrotic sarcomatoid tissue.     

Bilateral testicular tumors recurring 31 years after the initial treatment: a case report and the literature review

We herein report a case of bilateral testicular germ cell tumor recurring 31 years after right high inguinal orchiectomy. In 2003, a 62-year-old man presented with a mass in the left testis. Ultrasonography demonstrated three hypoechoic mass and microlithiasis of the left testis. Abdominal and breast computed tomography revealed no lymph adenopathy and any metastasis. The preoperative diagnosis was stage I testicular tumor and subsequently left high orchiectomy was performed. Histological examination revealed typical seminoma. At present, the patient is free from recurrence after the surgery. To our knowledge, 166 cases were reported in Japan. Approximately fifty percent of metachronal bilateral testicular tumors previously reported have been recurred after five years and more from the initial surgery. In the testicular cancer, long-term follow-up and self examination of the scrotum are of great importance. We review the metachronal bilateral testicular germ cell tumors previously reported in Japan.     

Primary liposarcoma of the thoracic spine: case report

Liposarcoma is a malignant tumor of soft tissue. The thoracic spine is an unusual location, even for metastasis, and to our knowledge, no case of primary pleomorphic liposarcoma of the vertebral body has been reported until now. A female patient presented with paraplegia. She had a previous medical history of mental depression, and complained of dorsal pain for three months following a road accident. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revealed a collapse of T7-T8, and the diagnosis of plasmocytoma was made. She was treated with decompressive laminectomy and posterior instrumentation. Histological examination revealed a pleomorphic liposarcoma. She received a course of radiotherapy. At 13 months follow-up she developed pulmonary metastases and rib involvement. The spine is an unusual location for pleomorphic liposarcoma, even as metastasis. The differential diagnoses of this rare entity are discussed, as well as the criteria for diagnosing primary spinal liposarcoma. Although rare, our case demonstrates that liposarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of spinal tumors.     

A recurrent granulosa cell tumor of the ovary 25 years after the initial diagnosis: A case report

IntroductionGranulosa cell tumors (GCTs) are rare functional sex-cord-stromal ovarian neoplasms characterized by low malignancy potential and late relapse, which rarely metastasize to the liver.Presentation of caseA 43-year-old female, who had undergone surgery to treat a GCT of the left ovary in 1976, complained of abdominal distention in May 2001. Imaging studies demonstrated masses in the right lobe of the liver, together with massive ascites. The patient’s bloody ascites showed no cytological evidence of malignancy. A diagnostic laparoscopy was performed, and the biopsy specimen was histologically proven to be a recurrent granulosa cell tumor. The patient was successfully treated surgery followed by systemic chemotherapy. Her postoperative course was uneventful and systemic chemotherapy was repeated due to the suspicion of a recurrence in the pelvic cavity.DiscussionGCTs which are rare malignant tumors of the ovary, tend to be associated with late recurrence. Although most recurrences occur within 10 years after the initial diagnosis, there are occasional reports of recurrences after 10 years have been. We experienced the rare case of a patient who relapsed 25 years after the initial diagnosis.ConclusionThe long natural history of this disease highlights the importance of extended follow up for GCT patients. In addition, aggressive therapy including surgery and chemotherapy may contribute to a patient’s long-term prognosis.     

Myxoid liposarcoma of the ankle: a case report

Myxoid liposarcoma occurs predominantly in the deep soft tissues of the extremities, and tends to metastasize to a wide range of soft tissue or bone locations. We report a case of myxoid liposarcoma arising in the ankle of a 19-year-old man. A diagnosis of myxoid liposarcoma was made by open biopsy, and a wide resection requiring plastic surgical reconstruction was performed. Cytogenetic analysis of the resected tumor exhibited a reciprocal translocation t(12;16)(q13;p11) as the sole anomaly, which is found in more than 90% of myxoid liposarcoma cases. The patient had no evidence of local recurrence or metastasis within 7 years of follow-up. Although myxoid liposarcoma is rare in the ankle, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a painless soft tissue mass in this region.     

Second recurrence of cardiac myxoma 7 years after the initial operation

We report a rare case of a 23-year-old woman in who recurrent multiple cardiac myxomas were resected first time 4 years after the initial operation and second time three years after the second operation. In February 2000, she was diagnosed with right ventricular myxoma. The initial cardiac tumor was successfully resected through a right atrium approach and the tricuspid valve was changed with a biological prosthesis; the patient has been followed-up by ultrasound echocardiography every 6-month after discharge. Four years after, the echocardiography revealed one masse in the left atrium, which was resected using a trans-septal approach. Due to malfunction of the tricuspid prosthesis, this was changed with a biological one. After another three years, the echocardiography revealed once again two masses, this time in the right atrium and left ventricle. The third surgery was performed and all 2 myxomas were successfully resected through a combined right atrial and left ventricle approach. One year after the third operation, she has been doing well without any sign of recurrence of myxoma. A long-term follow-up is mandatory in patients after the resection of a cardiac myxoma.