A Particular Presentation of a Diffuse Pedunculated Lipoma of the Sacral Region

Abstract

Background. Subcutaneous lipomas are one of the most common benign soft tissue tumors seen in clinical practice. They may occur at any age, affecting men more often than women. In therapeutically neglected cases, these lesions may have unusual clinical features. Our case highlights one such form that may be found amongst subcutaneous lipomas. Case report. A 37-year-old man came to the Surgical Clinic for treatment of an ulcerated, pedunculated tumor, measuring 14.5/8/7 cm, located in the sacral region. Clinically, liposarcoma was considered as the diagnosis. Although preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the tumor showed mature adipose tissue fragments on all cytological smears, surgical excision was performed, with intraoperative extemporaneous histological examination of the tumor. Histopathological results showed a lipoma with unusual associated features: ulceration of the overlying skin and fatty tissue necrosis, with formation of abscess areas. Conclusion. Therapeutically neglected subcutaneous lipomas may have unusual clinical features, leading to difficulties for both diagnosis and therapeutic approach. This case complements the existing data, from the point of view of the clinical presentation, as well as the histopathological characteristics that a subcutaneous lipoma may have.