[A case of a large liposarcoma of the chest]

A49 -year-old woman with a growing tumor of the left anterior chest wall was admitted to our hospital. This patient was diagnosed with a malignant well-differentiated tumor by needle biopsy and underwent surgery involving wide resection of the tumor, associated excision of the major pectoralis muscle, and part of the mammary tissue and skin. The tumor measured 14.2×17.8 cm and weighed 1,220 g. Histopathologically, the tumor was confirmed to be a dedifferentiated liposarcoma, and local recurrence and metastasis often occurs in spite of complete surgical resection. However, no local recurrence or metastasis has been detected 2 months post-surgery. The main anatomic sites of liposarcomas are the retroperitoneum and lower extremities; only 19 liposarcoma cases of the anterior chest wall have been reported in Japan.