DISCOVERIES REPORTS (ISSN 2393249X), 2022, volume 3
ORIGINAL ARTICLE - CASE REPORT
CITATION:
Nishith N, Kadali K, Chowdhury Z, Shukla V. Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma of the Nasopharynx: A Case Report of a Rare Enigmatic Entity. Discoveries Reports 2022; 5(3): e36. DOI: 10.15190/drep.2022.10
Submitted: Nov 29, 2022; Revised: Dec 26, 2022; Accepted: Dec 30, 2022; Published: Dec 31, 2022
Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma of the Nasopharynx - A Case Report of a Rare Enigmatic Entity
1 Department of Oncopathology, Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Varanasi, India
2 Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Varanasi, India
*Correspondence to: Dr. Nilay Nishith, Department of Oncopathology, Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Varanasi, India. Email: drnilaynishith@gmail.com
Abstract
Liposarcoma is the second most common soft tissue sarcoma and is usually encountered in the retroperitoneum and lower extremities. Nasopharyngeal liposarcoma is exceptionally rare, with only four cases being reported to this date. Additionally, diagnosis of the dedifferentiated subtype of liposarcoma becomes particularly challenging on biopsy samples obtained from non-retroperitoneal sites, as it exhibits a wide morphological spectrum, less commonly shows an absence of a component of well-differentiated liposarcoma, and at times displays low-grade dedifferentiation. We report a case of nasopharyngeal low-grade dedifferentiated liposarcoma in a 36-year-old male, the diagnosis of which was limited by all the above-mentioned factors. However, a diligent search for lipoblast-like cells and the use of appropriate immunohistochemical markers lead to a conclusive diagnosis. We have also commented on the differential diagnoses that could compound the diagnostic dilemma and have attempted to probe into the site-specific prognostic implication of this rare malignancy. Accurate identification of DDL is foremost owing to the differences in management from its close mimickers and may confer a good prognosis, especially when it occurs in nasopharynx.
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