A giant esophageal liposarcoma radically resected by the cervical approach: a case report

Primary esophageal liposarcoma is an extremely rare malignancy, whereas liposarcoma is one of the most common soft tissue sarcomas, which develop mainly in the soft tissues of the extremities and retroperitoneum. A rare case of giant esophageal liposarcoma that originated from the cervical esophagus that was successfully excised by a cervical approach is reported. A 72-year-old woman presented with difficulty swallowing for 6 months. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a pedunculated esophageal submucosal tumor arising just below the pyriform fossa in the esophagus. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed a giant, heterogeneous, intraluminal esophageal tumor from the cervical esophagus to the upper thoracic esophagus for approximately 17 cm. Based on the imaging findings, an esophageal liposarcoma was suspected. Since the symptom of dysphagia was gradually worsening, surgical treatment was planned. The giant esophageal tumor was successful resected through a cervical approach without either thoracotomy or laparotomy. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged on day 15 after surgery. The histopathological and immunohistological findings showed well-differentiated esophageal liposarcoma, 15 × 7 × 5 cm in size. A cervical approach is an appropriate option for a tumor that developed at the cervical esophagus as a minimally invasive surgical technique.