Liposarcomas are a type of cancer that can develop in soft tissue anywhere in the body, with the most common locations being the thighs, kidneys, bladder, colon, duodenum, pancreas, and chest. They are more common in people aged 50-70 and men are slightly more affected than women. Liposarcomas can recur after removal, but often do not metastasize to other organs. However, those that do metastasize are difficult to treat, and the survival rate is about 40% at five years. Removing large tumors may be impossible when they are woven through the organs.
Liposarcomas are a buildup of soft tissue that can develop anywhere in the body. They are a form of cancer, often called low-grade malignant. This means they can recur after removal, but often do not metastasize to other organs. Those that metastasize, however, are difficult to treat, and the survival rate after the development of a highly metastatic tumor or poorly differentiated liposarcoma is about 40% at five years.
The onset of liposarcomas is more common in people between the ages of 50 and 70. Men are slightly more affected than women. Most often, they are found in the thighs, kidneys, bladder, colon, duodenum, pancreas, and occasionally the chest. They can, however, occur anywhere on the body and are usually buried deep in tissue.
Emerging liposarcomas usually do not cause pain. Most average in size from 0.75 inch to nearly 4 inch (2-10 cm) in diameter. Larger tumors, especially growths in organs, can cause pain or impair organ function. Some exceptionally large tumors have been noted, but this is relatively rare.
Although liposarcomas are the most common of the sarcoma cancers, they only occur in about 1,250 people a year in the United States. Sarcomas occur in approximately 5,000 people a year in the United States. Children are the least affected by these tumors, accounting for only 5% of cases. So while liposarcomas are common types of sarcomas, they are still a rare occurrence.
Internationally, there is approximately one case for every half a million people. So the chances of getting liposarcoma are about 0.0002%. While uncommon, they can still be devastating, particularly in highly metastatic form. Removing large tumors may be impossible when they are woven through the organs.
However, those liposarcomas that are removable – the least metastatic and clearly differentiated type – result in a relatively high survival rate after surgical removal. Nearly 100% of people with the well-differentiated type are still alive 5 years after the tumor is removed. Myoxid liposarcomas have an 88% five-year survival rate. Poorly differentiated liposarcomas, however, are noted in relatively high mortality rates.
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