Abstract:

Aim: Lipomas are benign tumors, and generally present as small lesions. However, giant lipomas are less frequent. There are only a few studies regarding the surgical treatment of giant lipomas. Marginal or wide resection is usually performed; however, there is no standard surgical approach. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical results after surgical treatment of giant lipomas and to present a differential diagnosis of lipomatous lesions. Material and Methods: A total of 42 cases (24 female, 18 male) admitted to our clinic between 2015 and 2020 due to giant lipoma with at least 10 cm dimensions were included in this study. A preoperative biopsy was performed for all cases. All patients were undergone wide excision followed by postoperative histopathological examination. Results: The mean age was 57.5±12.9 years. The median follow-up was 35 months. Anatomic localization was thigh in 16 (38.1%) patients, shoulder in 7 (16.7%) patients, hip in 5 (11.9%) patients, back in 4 (9.5%) patients, arm in 9 (21.4%) patients, and the iliac region in 1 (2.4%) patient. Wide resection was performed, and final pathology was consistent with lipoma in all cases. There was no complication except in one patient who had transient neuropraxia after removing a giant lipoma at the proximal femur. At the latest follow-up, all cases were asymptomatic with no recurrence. Conclusion: Preoperative biopsy and wide resection should be preferred for the diagnosis and treatment of giant lipomas. Wide resection may prevent a recurrence. Routine follow-up is necessary to detect possible malign transformation.

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