First Report of a Large Mediastinal Lipoblastoma and its Complete Resection in an Adult: Case Report

Abstract

We present the unusual case of a 25-year-old female with shortness of breath, concomitant cough and a palpable mass in the left lower neck. The patient underwent thoracotomy via clamshell incision to remove the mass of preoperative unknown aetiology. A preoperative biopsy was inconclusive. Histology surprisingly revealed a lipoblastoma. The patient is without evidence of tumour relapse after 60 months. The lipoblastoma is a neoplasm of the embryonic adipose tissue. Typically, it is seen in the extremities and the trunk of children up to 3 years of age (Coffin et al. (Am J Surg Pathol 33:1705–12, 2009); Kok and Telisinghe (World J Surg 34:1517–22, 2010); De Saint Aubain Somerhausen et al. (Histopathology 52:294–98, 2008)). Appearances in adults are very rare. Age and location could have been therefore misleading in this patient. Surgeon, pulmonologist, radiologist and pathologist must be aware that this entity can also be found in the mediastinum of adults.