Gigantic lipomas

Two cases of unusually giant lipomas--weighting 5070 and 4000 gm--are described. Tumors were present for 5 years on the back in a 55-year-old man and for 20 years at the anterior compartment of the thigh in an 80-year-old woman. Difficulty in fitting clothes was the first patient's sole complaint, and social pressure was actually the reason that brought him to his doctor. The second patient suffered from pain during the last 2 years. The weight of the bigger tumor was calculated preoperatively from the uptake of technetium-99m DTPA during scanning. Dissection of the tumors from the surrounding tissues was extremely easy in both cases. At 5 years and 1 year following surgery, there is no evidence of recurrence.