Lipoma Growing on the Back for 26 Years: A Bizarre Case Report

Lipoma is one of the most typical and benign tumors. They are typically regarded as a mass that is painless, asymptomatic, and slow-growing. It is composed of fat cells of the adult type. It can occur anywhere in the body and is often called a "universal" or ubiquitous tumor. They can develop in any region containing adipose tissue, with a higher prevalence in the subcutaneous tissue of the trunk and the nape of the neck and the limbs and occasionally in other locations, including the hand. There are three main varieties: encapsulated, diffuse, and multiple lipomas. A few lipomas may contain other tissues: fibrolipoma, neurolemma, and myelolipoma. Lipoma, when present for a long time, may undergo certain changes. This is particularly true in cases of lipoma under subcutaneous tissues of the thigh, buttock, or retroperitoneal lipoma. Such changes can be malignant, sarcomatous, calcification, or saponification. Clinically, a lipoma can occur in different anatomical situations; according to this, a lipoma can be classified into subcutaneous type, subfascial type, intramuscular type, subserous type, submucous type, intra-articular type, or it can be intraglandular. Lipomas, the most prevalent benign mesenchymal tumors, consist of mature lipocytes. Typically, lipomas are small, weighing only a few grams, with a maximum diameter usually under 2 cm. The term "giant" is applied when a lipoma reaches a diameter of at least 10 cm or weighs a minimum of 1,000 g. Due to their substantial size, giant lipomas can lead to functional limitations, such as lymphedema, pain syndromes, or nerve compression. Given the unique nature of this condition, characterized by the considerable size of the lesion and the challenges in both diagnosis and treatment, we present a case involving a 45-year-old woman with a giant lipoma in the suprascapular region.