Morphologic-cytogenetic analysis of dedifferentiated liposarcomas with an extensive misleading leiomyosarcomatous...

This report describes two cases of recurrent retroperitoneal dedifferentiated liposarcoma characterized by an extensive leiomyomatous component that prevented the correct diagnosis before the last recurrence. Strong immunoreactivity with smooth muscle and desmin antibodies and ultrastructural features consistent with leiomyosarcoma were observed in the spindle-cell and/or myxoid-like components in all four recurrences in case 1, and in the spindle-cell component of the primary tumor and the first recurrence in case 2. In case 1, the correct diagnosis was suggested by the cytogenetic evidence of ring markers, a hallmark of well-differentiated/dedifferentiated liposarcoma. In case 2, tumor type was yielded mainly by the morphology of the second recurrence, which consisted entirely of a well-differentiated liposarcoma, a sclerosing inflammatory variant, as confirmed by the karyotype. Reevaluation of the first two surgical specimens of each case revealed small areas consistent with well-differentiated liposarcoma that had been previously overlooked. Despite the smooth-muscle antigen profile, both cases retained an mdm2+/p53+/cdk4+ immunophenotype consistent with the genotype.