The Use of Radiation Therapy in the Management of Selected Patients with Atypical Lipomas

Background and Objectives. Atypical lipomas are uncommon, slow-growing benign tumors. While surgery has been the primary treatment modality, we have managed some patients with radiation (RT) as a component of the treatment and have reported their outcomes in this study. Methods. A retrospective review of all cases of extremity and trunk atypical lipomas in The Sarcoma Database at the study institution was conducted. Results. Thirteen patients were identified. All patients underwent surgical resection at initial presentation and received pre- or postoperative radiation for subtotal resection (n=2), local recurrence (n=8), or progressive disease (n=3). The median total radiation dose was 50 Gy. Median followup was 65.1 months. All patients treated with RT remained free of disease at the last followup. No grade 3 or higher late toxicity from radiation was observed. No cases of tumor dedifferentiation occurred. Conclusion. For recurrent or residual atypical lipomas, a combination of reexcision and RT can provide long-term local control with acceptable morbidity. For recurrent tumors, pre-op RT of 50 Gy appears to be an effective and well-tolerated management approach.