Myxoid liposarcoma, microscopy

Liposarcoma, a type of cancer in which the tumour cells show the characteristics of fat cells, and is the most common soft tissue sarcoma. It is slow-growing and painless, and most commonly presents in middle-aged adults. It is extremely rare in children. There are six subtypes of liposarcoma, with the three most common called 'well-differentiated', 'myxoid' (round cell), and 'pleomorphic'. On rare occasions liposarcoma can present cells of multiple types, in which case it is known as a mixed-type liposarcoma. Here, a sample of myxoid liposarcoma is shown, and is the second most common subtype. It is characterized by variable proportions of round and oval mesenchymal cells, cells which have the ability to develop into a variety of cell types including connective tissue. A smear made from tumour has been stained with MGG (May Grünwald Giemsa) to distinguish between different cell types; the red/pink cells are red blood cells, and the purple stain identifies sarcoma cells. Multiple vacuolated (holed) cells are also present which are called lipoblasts, and are precursors of adipocytes (fat cells). Horizontal image width 215 micrometers.