unusual case of primary colonic dedifferentiated liposarcoma

INTRODUCTION: In this paper, we present a rare case of primary dedifferantiated liposarcoma (DDLS) of the colon, management of which is unclear and difficult to cope with. PRESENTATION OF CASE: 71 year old female patient with complaints of abdominal pain and swelling was referred to our clinic with the diagnosis of intraabdominal mass. 23 cm 19 cm 18 cm tumor starting from the neighborhood of left liver lobe and extending toward pelvic floor was detected on computed tomography. At laparotomy, a multilobulated, soft and yellowish mass was arising from transvers colon and invading greater curvature of stomach. En-bloc removal of the tumor including segmental colon and gastric wedge resection was performed. Postoperative histopathological diagnosis was consistent with dedifferentiated liposarcoma. DISCUSSION: Liposarcomas are rarely encountered in the gastrointestinal tract. Previously, only ten cases of primary liposarcoma of the colon have been reported worldwide and to our knowledge DDLS of transverse colon is the first case reported in the literature. DDLS is a high-grade aggressive tumor carrying the ability to metastasize. Despite complete removal of tumor recurrence is common in DDLS. CONCLUSION: The constellation of findings in our patient demonstrates that liposarcomas which histologically exhibit dedifferentiation are associated with a poor clinical prognosis and advocating surgery alone is not recommended. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Surgical Associates Ltd.