Molecular updates in adipocytic neoplasms✰

Elizabeth G Demicco

doi:10.1053/j.semdp.2019.02.003

Molecular updates in adipocytic neoplasms^✰

Semin Diagn Pathol. 2019 Mar;36(2):85-94. doi: 10.1053/j.semdp.2019.02.003. Epub 2019 Feb 28.

Author

Elizabeth G Demicco¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: Elizabeth.Demicco@sinaihealthsystem.ca.

PMID: 30857767
DOI: 10.1053/j.semdp.2019.02.003

Abstract

Adipocytic neoplasms include a diversity of both benign tumors (lipomas) and malignancies (liposarcomas), and each tumor type is characterized by its own unique molecular alterations driving tumorigenesis. Work over the past 30 years has established the diagnostic utility of several of these characteristic molecular alterations (e.g. MDM2 amplification in well- and dedifferentiated liposarcoma, FUS/EWSR1-DDIT3 gene fusions in myxoid liposarcoma, RB1 loss in spindle cell/pleomorphic lipoma). More recent studies have focused on additional molecular alterations which may have therapeutic or prognostic impact. This review will summarize several of the important molecular findings in adipocytic tumors that have been described over the past 10 years.

Keywords: Atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor; CDK4; Dedifferentiated liposarcoma; Genomics; MDM2; Myxoid liposarcoma; RB1; TERT; Well-differentiated liposarcoma.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics
Humans
Neoplasms, Adipose Tissue / genetics*

Substances

Biomarkers, Tumor