Liposarcomas of the larynx and hypopharynx: A clinicopathologic study of eight new cases and a review of the literature

Abstract

Laryngeal and hypopharyngeal liposarcomas were studied in seven men and one woman. Patient age ranged from 25 to 81 years, with a median of 64 years. Symptoms included dysphagia, airway obstruction, and the sensation of a foreign body in the back of the throat. Histologically, seven of the tumors were of the biologically favorable types, either representing well-differentiated (lipoma-like) liposarcomas or myxoid liposarcomas. One tumor was a pleomorphic liposarcoma. Six of the eight patients had one or more episodes of recurrent tumor. Surgery is the treatment of choice and can include conservative (organ-sparing) procedures. However, to eradicate the tumor completely and thereby prevent recurrent disease, open surgical approaches (i.e., lateral pharyngotomy), rather than endoscopic techniques should be employed. The morbidity rate for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal liposarcomas is high because these tumors tend to recur over extended periods of time. In this study, however, there were no instances of metastatic disease, and no deaths were attributed to liposarcoma. Prospectively, laryngeal and hypopharyngeal well-differentiated (lipoma-like) liposarcoma is a difficult clinical and histopathologic diagnosis to establish. Often, this diagnosis is made only after one or more episodes of recurrent disease.