Multiple recurrences of a lesion at the base of the tongue

A patient with a well-differentiated liposarcoma at the base of the tongue is reported. The patient experienced many local recurrences over 37 years yet remained free of metastases. Liposarcomas of the oral cavity are rare and are not usually included in the differential diagnosis of soft tissue masses in the oral region. As these tumors may occur anywhere that adipose tissue is found, the possibility of a slowly enlarging asymptomatic, grossly well-defined, soft to firm mass being a liposarcoma must be remembered. Because of the difficulties sometimes experienced in histologically distinguishing between low-grade well-differentiated liposarcoma and certain lipomas, any recurrence of a lipoma should be viewed with a great deal of suspicion about the original diagnosis.