Atypical lipomatous tumor, its variants, and its combined forms: a study of 61 cases, with a minimum follow-up of 10 years

Sixty-one cases of neoplasms composed wholly or in part of atypical lipomatous tumor were reviewed. Minimum follow-up was 10 years. The cases were divided into 4 groups based on the findings in the initial excision specimen: conventional atypical lipomatous tumor (n=15), cellular atypical lipomatous tumor (n=21), dedifferentiated liposarcoma (n=24), and atypical lipomatous tumor with a pleomorphic liposarcoma-like component (n=1). The term "cellular atypical lipomatous tumor" was applied to atypical lipomatous tumors having areas of increased cellularity that when non-lipogenic lacked the 5 mitotic figures per 10 high-power fields (maximal rate) required for a dedifferentiated component and when lipogenic fell short of being truly pleomorphic liposarcoma-like. Myxoid regions within this spectrum sometimes had prominent or even plexiform vascularity, creating a resemblance to myxoid liposarcoma especially when interspersed small fat cells were present. The most important prognostic factor was tumor location, as none of the 12 patients with a subcutaneous or intramuscular neoplasm died of tumor. Among the 49 patients with neoplasms of central body sites (mostly retroperitoneum), those with dedifferentiated liposarcoma had significantly shorter survival (median 77 mo) than those with cellular (median 142 mo) or conventional (median 209 mo) atypical lipomatous tumor, whereas there was no statistically significant difference between the latter 2 categories. Patients with atypical lipomatous tumor (either cellular or conventional) in central body sites had significantly shorter survival if the tumor transformed into dedifferentiated liposarcoma in recurrence, and, conversely, those with central body site dedifferentiated liposarcoma had significantly longer survival if it recurred as atypical lipomatous tumor. Metastasis (7 cases) occurred only when the initial specimen or a recurrence demonstrated dedifferentiated liposarcoma.