Lipofibromatosis: an institutional and literature review of an uncommon entity

We report six new cases of lipofibromatosis, an uncommon pediatric soft tissue neoplasm. This is the only series of patients to be described since the initial case series of 45 patients that characterized this entity in 2000. The purpose of this study was to characterize the presentation of lipofibromatosis to further define the clinical phenotype of this rare entity. Six patients were diagnosed with lipofibromatosis at our institution from 2000 to 2012. Patient age, sex, and ethnicity were recorded, along with tumor site and size, management, and recurrence data. Half of our patients were younger than 2 years old at presentation and the other half were school age. Boys and girls were affected with equal frequency. In five of six patients, lipofibromatosis presented in its "classic" form as a mass on the distal extremities. These tumors typically measured 1 to 2 cm in diameter, in contrast to case reports in the medical literature highlighting the occurrence of lipofibromatosis of greater size and at varied anatomic sites. The tumors in our series were managed using excision, with recurrence noted in 33%. Lipofibromatosis is an uncommon tumor typically found on the distal extremities of infants, although it can appear in various sizes and locations. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pediatric soft tissue neoplasms.