Diagnosis and management of lipomatous tumors.

Lipomatous tumors range from benign lipomas to high-grade liposarcomas. Liposarcomas are classified into five histologic subtypes: well-differentiated, dedifferentiated, myxoid, round cell, and pleomorphic, which differ in outcomes and patterns of recurrence. Surgical resection is the mainstay of curative treatment; however, large, high grade liposarcomas may benefit from multimodality treatment with chemotherapy and radiation. A histologic-subtype specific nomogram provides accurate survival predictions. Prospective randomized clinical trials will continue to improve our care of patients with liposarcoma. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.