Liposarcoma of the larynx: a multicentric or a metastatic malignancy

The third case of liposarcoma of the larynx, this one arising from the preepiglottic space, is presented. The report is unique in so far as the patient previously had been treated for a liposarcoma in another anatomic region. The diagnosis in this case was in doubt until electron microscopic studies were done. Since the histopathology of the laryngeal and the previous liposarcoma were different, the question of metastasis versus multicentricity was raised. Other discussions of liposarcomas over the past three decades have not resolved this aspect of their behavior completely. In this instance, after considering avenues of metastatic spread in conjuction with the histopathology, it would appear that the laryngeal lesion was a second primary and not a metastasis.