Liposarcoma You may have heard of lipoma and you may have heard of liposarcoma, but do you know the difference between them? They are just one word apart, but they are two very different things. Today, let's take a look at the concepts, characteristics, harms and methods of lipoma and liposarcoma, so that you can have a deeper understanding of them.
A lipoma is a benign tumor formed by the proliferation of normal fat cells, usually in subcutaneous or deep fatty tissues, such as muscle, mesentery, retroperitoneum, etc.
Lipomas can vary in size from a few millimeters to tens of centimeters, are generally round or oval in shape, have a smooth surface, a soft texture, well-defined borders, lobulation, and can be mobile. Lipomas grow slowly and generally don't cause pain or other discomfort unless they press on vital structures such as nerves or blood vessels. The cause of lipoma is not clear, and it may be related to genetic, endocrine, trauma and other factors.
Liposarcoma is a malignant tumor composed of undifferentiated or poorly differentiated fat cells, which can occur anywhere in the body, but is more common in the limbs, retroperitoneum, and around the kidneys.
The size of liposarcoma can also vary from a few centimeters to tens of centimeters, generally nodular or lobulated, the surface is not smooth, the texture is hard or tough, the border is not clear, and it is adherent to the surrounding tissues, and it is not easy to move.
Liposarcoma grows at a rapid rate and often causes pain or compressive symptoms such as swollen limbs, abdominal discomfort, and low back pain. The cause of liposarcoma is also not well understood, and it may be related to genetics, trauma, radiation, and other factors.
Although lipomas are benign tumors, they should not be taken lightly because they have a certain risk of malignant transformation, especially deep lipomas. If the lipoma is very large, or if you have any of the following conditions, you should seek medical attention promptly to avoid delays**:
The rate of tumor growth is significantly accelerated
Ulcers or bleeding on the surface of the tumor
The texture of the tumor becomes hard or irregular
The tumor causes pain or pressure
Tumors that affect cosmetic or functional
Liposarcoma is a very dangerous tumour because it is highly aggressive and metastatic and can be life-threatening if left untimely**.
The prognosis of liposarcoma depends on factors such as the subtype, grade, stage, location, size, margin, metastasis of the tumor, etc. In general, the five-year survival rate for liposarcoma is between 30% and 60%, while the prognosis is worse for subtypes such as deep, high-grade, large-volume, dedifferentiated, pleomorphic, etc.
The first method of lipoma is mainly surgical resection, which is generally carried out under local anesthesia, and after resection, it should be sent for pathological examination to rule out the possibility of malignant transformation.
The method of liposarcoma is mainly comprehensive, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc., and individualized plans are formulated according to factors such as tumor subtype, grade, stage, location, and size.
Surgery is the preferred method for liposarcoma, with the aim of removing the tumor and surrounding normal tissue as much as possible to achieve the best results.
Chemotherapy is an important adjuvant method for liposarcoma and can be performed before or after surgery with the aim of reducing the size of the tumor, improving the success rate of surgery, or destroying residual tumor cells and prolonging survival.
Radiotherapy is another adjunct to liposarcoma and can be performed before or after surgery with the aim of killing tumor cells, reducing the risk, or relieving symptoms and improving quality of life.
In addition to judging the tumor based on its appearance, texture, activity, and other characteristics, we can also confirm the diagnosis by the following methods:
Imaging examinations, such as X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, etc., can show the location, size, morphology, density, signal, blood flow and other characteristics of the tumor, as well as whether the tumor has invaded surrounding structures and organs, and whether there is distant metastasis.
Cytology, such as fine needle aspiration or liquid-based cytology, can remove a small number of cells from the tumor and observe its morphology, nucleolus, **atypia and other characteristics, as well as whether there are specific chromosome or gene abnormalities.
Histological examination, such as biopsy or surgical excision, can remove one or all of the tissue from the tumor and look for its structure, differentiation, necrosis, inflammation, and other characteristics, as well as the expression of specific immunohistochemistry or molecular markers.
Lipoma and liposarcoma are two different types of tumors, and although there is only one word difference, they are very different.
Lipomas are benign and liposarcomas are malignant; Lipomas are formed by the proliferation of normal fat cells, and liposarcomas are made up of undifferentiated or poorly differentiated fat cells;
Lipoma grows very slowly, and liposarcoma grows faster;
Lipomas generally do not cause pain or other discomfort, and liposarcomas often cause pain or compression;
Lipomas have a certain risk of malignant transformation, and liposarcomas are highly aggressive and metastasis.
Therefore, we need to identify and ** these two tumors in time to protect our health and life.