Surgical resection of recurrent bilateral mediastinal liposarcoma through the clamshell approach

Primary mediastinal liposarcoma is an unusual variant of mediastinal neoplasms. We describe a long-term survivor who underwent repeated operations. After resections through a posterolateral thoracotomy and median sternotomy, a third operation was performed for recurrent bilateral huge tumors through a clamshell incision, and both tumors were removed en bloc. Results of pathologic examination showed that both tumors were well-differentiated liposarcoma. The patient is currently well 16 years after the first operation. Aggressive surgical intervention whenever possible appears to improve the quality of life and prolong the survival of patients with mediastinal liposarcoma.