Dedifferentiated liposarcoma of the spermatic cord: Case report and review of literature

INTRODUCTION: Malignant spermatic cord tumors have an annual incidence of 0.3 cases/million. The vast majority of tumors in this region are benign. We present a rare case of a dedifferentiated liposarcoma of the spermatic cord successfully treated. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 59-year-old gentleman presented complaining of an enlarging painful right groin mass. On exam there was an obvious 10cm inguinal mass. Imaging illustrated a right inguinal soft tissue mass that was not present on imaging 22 months prior. The patient underwent a right inguinal exploration, en bloc resection of the mass, and radical orchiectomy to ensure negative margins. Histopathological analysis revealed a grade 2 dedifferentiated liposarcoma that measured 9 x 6 x 5 cm, with 5 cm negative margins. The patient did well and was discharged on postoperative day one. On 6-month follow-up there was no evidence of recurrence. DISCUSSION: We present a rare dedifferentiated liposarcoma of the spermatic cord that was successfully treated with surgical resection. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion coupled with a thorough history and physical examination when encountering an enlarging inguinal mass. This rare pathology is lacking level one evidence-based standardized treatment algorithms. The mainstay of treatment is surgical resection. CONCLUSION: For spermatic cord liposarcomas, the surgical approach is en bloc resection with radical orchiectomy aiming for RO margins. Prognosis depends on tumor grade, anatomic site, and the ability to achieve a microscopically tumor negative resection. Despite our patient's disease free status, prolonged surveillance with physical examination and cross sectional imaging is still warranted. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of IJS Publishing Group Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).