Upper aerodigestive tract liposarcoma: Report on four cases and literature review

Objective: To report on the clinical behavior, histopathology, treatment, and prognosis of laryngeal, hypopharyngeal, and cervical esophageal liposarcomas. Study Design: Retrospective reviews of pathology files and hospital records at a tertiary care hospital and a retrospective search of the English-language literature. Methods: Cases of upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) liposarcoma with adequate histopathologic documentation and clinical information were included for review. Results: Four cases of UADT liposarcomas were identified. The literature review revealed 26 cases of laryngeal liposarcomas, 7 cases of hypopharyngeal liposarcomas, and 6 cases of esophageal liposarcomas: the mean age at presentation was 55.8 years, the male:female ratio was 5:1, and 60% of the patients presented with dysphagia. Eighty-six percent of tumors had low- grade histologic findings. The recurrence rate after primary resection was 50%. Recurrence correlated with surgical procedure rather than with histologic subtype; 94.7% of recurrences happened after simple excision. Distant metastases occurred in three patients; two of them died of the disease. Conclusions: The literature supports that UADT liposarcomas are rare and usually of low-grade histologic type. The rate of metastatic disease and tumor-related mortality is low. However, high recurrence rates have been noted, particularly when less radical surgery is employed.