liposarcoma

Term: liposarcoma

Literally meaning: a state of fleshy fatty mass

Origin: Anc Greek

λίπος/λίπος(=fat, grease) >λίπος > verb λείβω/livo(=grease)

σαρξ/sarx(=flesh) >genitive form σαρκός/sarcos

+-ωμα/-oma (suffix denoting state or condition of mass growth)

Coined/History

Liposarcoma was originally described by R. Virchow in 1857 but the term was well defined in 1944 by A.P Stout

(Sourses: R. Virchow, "Ein fall von Bosartigen zum Theil in der form des Neurons auftretenden Fettgeschwulsten," Arch A Pathol Anat Phys, 1857, 11: pp 281-288 and "Liposarcoma—the malignant tumor of lipoblasts", A. P. Stout, Annals of Surgery, 1944; 119( 1): pp 86-107.)

Definition

Liposarcoma is a neoplastic processes ranging from lesions that are essentially benign to those that are malignant and metastatic. In adults, it is the most common soft tissue sarcoma.