Dedifferentiated liposarcoma of the extremities: a Korean multi-center study of 107 cases

Dedifferentiated liposarcoma of the extremities (DDL-E) is rare in comparison to that of the retroperitoneum. Its clinical features and surgical principle for resection margins at the dedifferentiated and the well-differentiated components are yet to be elucidated.

This retrospective multi-center study examined patients diagnosed with DDL-E from August 2004 to May 2023 at 5 sarcoma centers. Clinical features, oncologic outcomes, and prognostic factors were analyzed.

A total of 107 patients were reviewed. The 5-year local recurrence free survival (LRFS), metastasis-free survival (MFS) and disease specific survival (DSS) were 84.7%, 78.6%, and 87.8%, respectively. Other primary malignancies and extrapulmonary metastasis were observed in 27 and 4 patients, respectively. The independent risk factor for local recurrence was R1/2 margin at the dedifferentiated component of the tumor. Metastasis was associated with tumor size in univariate analysis. The independent risk factor for DSS was tumor grade. Previous unplanned excision, de novo presentation, tumor depth, absence of the well-differentiated component, infiltrative border, R1/2 margin at the well-differentiated component were not associated with oncologic outcomes.

This is the largest study examining DDL-E to-date. Localized DDL-E has low potential for metastasis and carries an excellent prognosis. Other primary malignancy and extrapulmonary metastasis are more frequent in DDL-E, thus close monitoring of other sites during follow-up is recommended. While wide resection margin is the standard surgical approach for DDL-E, further investigation into moderated wide resection margin at the well-differentiated component is warranted.