HISTOPATHOLOGY, CYTOGENETICS, CLINICAL FEATURES, AND OUTCOME IN 215 TUMOURS OF THE EXTREMITY AND TRUNK WALL

J Bone Joint Surg [Br] 2008;90-B:929-33. Received 16 October 2007; Accepted after revision 20 February 2008 Deep-seated lipomas are often atypical histologically and are considered by some to have a high risk of recurrence after excision. We reviewed 215 deep-seated lipomas of the extremities and trunk wall with reference to histology, cytogenetics, clinical features and local recurrence. We classified tumours with atypical features and/or ring chromosomes as atypical lipomas. These were more common in men, larger than ordinary lipomas and more often located in the upper leg. The annual incidence was estimated as ten per million inhabitants and the ratio of atypical to ordinary lipomas was 1:3. In total, six tumours (3%), recurred locally after a median of eight years (1 to 16); of these, four were classified as atypical. The low recurrence rate of deep-seated lipomas of the extremity or trunk wall, irrespective of histological subtype, implies that if surgery is indicated, the tumour may be shelled out, that atypical lipomas in these locations do not deserve the designation welldifferentiated liposarcoma, and that routine review after surgery is not required.