Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, G: Bio-Tech & Genetics, Volume 22 Issue 2

Figure 1: The Taxonomy of Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Sarcomas are classified according to pathologically defined tissue differentiation states. Liposarcomas are the adipocytic tumors Author α : Department of Genomic Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. e-mail: hccheung@mdanderson.org Author ρ : Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. e-mail: dtruong4@mdanderson.org The Genomics of Liposarcoma: A Review and Commentary Hannah Beird α , Alexander J. Lazar σ & Danh Truong ρ I. L iposarcomas are A dipocytic S oft T issue S arcomas oft tissue sarcomas (STS) are malignancies that show mesenchymal and neuroectodermal differentiation and thus most often resemble supportive and connective tissue including fat, blood vessels, muscle, bone, tendons, and nerves. Over 70 subtypes of sarcomas exist and pathologists have classified these broadly according to the degree to which they resemble differentiated cell types (Figure 1) 1 . This review will focus on the most common subset of STS in adults, “liposarcoma”, which are tumors with histological features of specialized fat cells. Liposarcoma are broken down into several subtypes. The four with the highest incidence are: well- differentiated liposarcoma (WDLPS), dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS), myxoid liposarcoma (MLPS), and pleomorphic liposarcoma (PLPS) 1 . Overall survival is highest for MLPS, followed by WDLPS and DDLPS, and then PLPS 2-4 (Figure 2). While WDLPS occurs predominantly in the deep soft tissues of the limbs and retroperitoneum, DDLPS is located mostly in the retroperitoneum. MLPS and PLPS are preferentially located within the limbs 5 . Despite these broad categories, liposarcoma can also have mixed phenotypes and is often further subdivided into even more rare entities with other ultra-rare features. For instance, pleomorphic MLPS has attributes of both PLPS and MLPS 6,7 . S 1 Year 2022 15 © 2022 Global Journals Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXII Issue ersion I VII ( G ) Author σ : Department of Pathology, Department of Genomic Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX. e-mail: alazar@mdanderson.org