Abstract
Background
Lipomas are the most common mesenchymal soft tissue tumours encountered in surgical practice. They can occur anywhere in the body, but the common sites are subcutaneous tissue of trunk, nape of the neck and limbs. Giant lipomas measure more than 10cm in diameter and are very rarely seen in the axillary region. In such cases, cytology, ultrasonography and computed tomography are considered for complete assessment of giant axillary masses.
Case report
We report on a 50-year-old woman who presented with an asymptomatic, huge soft tissue mass in the right axillary region. She underwent surgical excision, and the mass was found on histopathological examination to be a benign lipoma.
Discussion
Lipomas are not frequently seen in the axilla. Clinically, malignancy should always be considered in tumours around the axilla, especially when the tumour is large. Management of a giant lipoma involves complete surgical excision because of its well-defined pseudocapsule. The relevant literature concerning rare giant axillary lipomas is reviewed.
Conclusion
Giant axillary lipomas are rarely encountered in clinical practice and careful surgery with precautions offer a satisfactory result.
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Pattanayak, S., Pramanik, S. Giant axillary lipoma — A rare case report with review of literature. Hellenic J Surg 86, 383–385 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13126-014-0164-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13126-014-0164-3