Esophageal dedifferentiated liposarcoma resected by the cervical approach: a case report

While liposarcomas tend to mainly occur in the soft tissues of the extremities and retroperitoneum, esophageal liposarcoma is rare. Herein, we report a case of a patient who underwent complete resection of an esophageal dedifferentiated liposarcoma via the cervical approach, leading to the preservation of the esophagus.

A 69-year-old man underwent an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, as a result of which a submucosal-like tumor was observed. Upper gastrointestinal imaging showed a 12-cm tumor with a stalk arising from the esophageal entrance, extending to the middle intrathoracic esophagus, with a normal surface mucosa. Endoscopic ultrasound-fine needle aspiration biopsy showed that the nuclei of tumors cells were positive for murine double minute (MDM) and weakly positive for cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4). We diagnosed the tumor as the esophageal dedifferentiated liposarcoma, and planed tumor resection via the cervical approach. The tumor was successfully resected and the postoperative course was uneventful.

This case report highlights the use of tumor resection via the cervical approach as a good option for esophageal liposarcoma.