Primary intradural liposarcoma of the cervical spine: Case report

Abstract

Liposarcoma is the commonest soft tissue sarcoma. It accounts for up to 20% of soft tissue sarcoma. Liposarcoma of the central nervous system is very rare. Pleomorphic liposarcoma (PLS) variant is a rare malignant soft tissue tumor comprising 5%-15% of liposarcomas. It is characterized by its high invasiveness. Few cases have been reported in the literature. We report a case of a pleomorphic variety of cervical spinal cord in a male that was operated with good outcome. The clinical presentation, management, and outcome in a case of primary PLS of the cervical spine, and a review of the literature, are presented. A 42-year-male presented with insidious upper back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intradural, extramedullary lesion compressing the spinal cord adjacent to C3/C4. Urgent decompressive laminectomy with gross total resection was performed. Histopathology revealed high-grade PLS. The patient was followed-up to one year and has remained stable symptomatically. Surgical resection is a modality of treatment with adjuvant therapies. Of the few reported cases ours has a good outcome up to the one year follow-up. It should be considered in intradural cord lesion with the characteristic MRI finding.