A well-differentiated liposarcoma of the prevertebral space: a case report

Abstract

Liposarcoma is common in adults; however, it very rarely occurs in the retropharyngeal space, and to date, no cases of liposarcoma in the prevertebral space have been reported. A 78-year-old man presented at the Otolaryngology Department with a 1-month history of dyspnea and dysphonia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the neck reveled a retropharyngeal mass extending from the superior margin of the axis to the level of the 7th cervical vertebra. A computed tomography scan of the patient’s neck uncovered the relationship between the mass and its’ surrounding structures. Based on the above examinations, a diagnosis of retropharyngeal liposarcoma was made initially. The patient underwent transoral surgical excision with the assistance of a nasal endoscope. During surgery, the tumor was located in the prevertebral space. Combined with pathology and immunohistochemistry examinations, the diagnosis was modified to well-differentiated liposarcoma of the prevertebral space. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient was well and there was no evidence of recurrence. The long-term outcomes are not yet known. Liposarcoma of the prevertebral space may sometimes be misdiagnosed as retropharyngeal liposarcoma; however, in our view, it is not necessary to focus on differentiating between enormous retropharyngeal and prevertebral tumors. In relation to the short-term outcome, complete excision using the transoral approach with the aid of nasal endoscope may present a better choice than the cervical approach in treating these tumors, especially in old people.