Lipoblastoma: an embryonal tumor of soft tissue related to organogenesis

The concept of embryomas or blastomas of connective tissues is difficult to define because of the usual association with a complex organ and typically malignant behavior. In the soft tissues, lipoblastoma is an example of a lesion which has a well-defined relationship to embryonic white fat and a capacity for differentiation. Its clinical behavior, however, is benign. This review discusses lipoblastoma in detail as an example of mesenchymal blastoma. Other potential mesenchymal blastomas and other primitive tumors of soft tissue with a capacity for differentiation are also mentioned.