Q: Which doctor should I consult if I have a lump with increasing size and pain?
A: If someone is having lump of increasing size and pain,one should first visit a general practitioner who will refer to the specialist such as an Oncologist-Medicine or Oncologist-Surgery.
Q: What is the difference between Lipoma and Liposarcoma?
A: The small clusters of fat cells that can be present anywhere on the body are called as lipomas. They are very common and are present under the skin (subcutaneous) and they grow either very slowly or don’t grow only. They are soft, non-cancerous, harmless, painless and have a rubbery consistency.
Liposarcoma is a rare cancer of fat cells in deep soft tissue, such as that inside the thigh, groin and abdomen. They are malignant tumors that can invade the tissue surrounding it.
Q: Where does liposarcoma spread to?
A: Generally the most common site of metastasis for liposarcomas is lungs. However, the myxoid type mostly metastasizes to extra-pulmonary sites like serosal surfaces.
Q: Can a lipoma become a liposarcoma?
A: Transformation or conversion of a lipoma into a liposarcoma is very rare.
Q: Is liposarcoma cancer deadly?
A: It depends on the stage of liposarcoma. Liposarcomas of stage IV are rarely curable. But some patients may be cured if the main tumor and all of the areas of cancer spread (metastases) can be removed by surgery.
Q: Are liposarcomas associated with some genetic disorders or are they hereditary?
A: It is observed that people who have some rare inherited genetic conditions such as Gardner’s syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome and retinoblastoma are at more risk of developing liposarcoma.
Q: How common is liposarcoma?
A: Liposarcoma is a rare cancer of connective tissue and accounts for up to 18% of soft tissue sarcomas. They account for less than 1% of all new cancer cases each year.
