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Incidental liposarcomas identified during hernia repair operations
1Department of Pathology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
Journal of Surgical Oncology
|June 11, 1999
Summary
Liposarcomas are rare incidental findings during hernia repair operations, occurring in less than 0.1% of cases. Large fatty masses over 10 cm warrant histologic sampling, even if routine evaluation is deemed unrewarding.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Pathology
- Oncology
- Hernia Repair
Background:
- Inguinal region anatomy allows communication with the retroperitoneum.
- Retroperitoneal and spermatic cord liposarcomas can be incidentally discovered during hernia repair.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the incidence of liposarcomas presenting during hernia repair operations at our institution.
Main Methods:
- Clerical review of pathology reports for adult hernia repair specimens (1992-1997).
- Review of operating room logs to determine total hernia repair operations.
- Analysis of accessioned tissue for liposarcomas.
Main Results:
- 1,736 adult hernia repair specimens were accessioned from approximately 2,000 operations.
- 22% of specimens had associated cord lipomas; 2 cases (0.1%) were well-differentiated liposarcomas.
- Liposarcomas measured 10-13 cm, larger than mean cord lipoma size (5.5 cm), and occurred in older males.
Conclusions:
- Incidental liposarcomas during hernia repair are rare but require histologic evaluation.
- Large fatty masses (>10 cm) from hernia repairs should be sampled for histologic evaluation, even if cost-containment measures limit routine review.