Lipoblastoma : Clinical Features

Comments:
Clinical Features: Lipoblastoma is a tumor of infants and young children. Almost 90% of cases occur by 3 yrs. of age. It may be present at birth. It is infrequent in adolescents and young adults and rare in adults. It is slightly more common in males.

Sites: The most common locations are proximal portions of upper and lower extremities and trunk, followed by head and neck region. However, cases have been documented in abdomen, mesentery, retroperitoneum, pelvis, inguinoscrotal region, labia, perineum, mediastinum and many internal organs (lung, heart, colon, stomach, and parotid gland).

Case History: A large lipoblastoma spanning the entire length of the forearm in a 19 month old child. The lesion appeared shortly after birth and slowly increased in size. The mother reported rapid growth in the last few months leading to impaired movements of the arm, wrist and fingers. The resected mass weighed 600 gm, measured 12 x 10 x 6.5 cm and had the gross appearance and consistency of a lipoma. Histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of a lipoblastoma.

Image source: Siqueira E. J., Alvarez G. S., Teixeira L. F., & Silva J. B. Benign lipoblastoma of the upper limb: A case report and literature review. Brazilian Journal of Plastic Surgery, 2014; 29(3):319-323. Used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License