Primary liposarcoma of the stomach wall: a rare mesenchymal tumor

Introduction: Primary liposarcoma of the stomach wall is rare. Only eight c ases have been described so far. Material and method: Here we report the ni nth case, occurring in a 74-year-old woman who presented with weight loss a nd a therapy-resistant ulcer of the stomach wall. Results: Pre- and periope rative findings suggested a benign lipoma of the stomach wall. The patient was treated with subtotal gastrectomy. On microscopic examination the tumor showed features of a benign lipoma but for a distinctive capillary net. Im munohistochemically the S-100 reaction was positive. Less than 1% of Ki67-p ositive cells could be found, thus suggesting a highly differentiated prima ry liposarcoma of the stomach wall. Conclusion: In situations where the ben ign or malignant nature of a submucosal lesion cannot be diagnosed with cer tainty a mesenchymal tumor of the stomach wall has to be included in the di fferential diagnosis. Here the indication for complete surgical excision an d histological workup has to be set widely.