A giant gluteal lipoblastoma in a 24-month-old girl: A case report

Lipoblastomas are rare benign tumors that arise from embryonic white fat and almost always occur in babies and children. Here, we report a case of a giant gluteal lipoblastoma in a 24-month-old girl that was successfully treated via complete resection. The gluteal location as in this case is an exceptional location. These tumors generally are benign, and there have been no reports of metastasis. Local recurrence can occur, particularly with lipoblastomatosis, when excision is incomplete. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice. The goal is always complete resection with negative margins, but this can be difficult to obtain with lipoblastomatosis. No spontaneous resolution or reduction of lipoblastoma has ever been reported, and a recurrence rate of 14 % and 25 % is reported in cases of incomplete excision. Lipoblastoma is a benign neoplasm of immature fat tissue occurring in infants. The gluteal region location is relatively rare. Imaging, especially MRI, is helpful in diagnosis and preoperative evaluation. An adequate pathological examination could bring huge benefits. Total surgical resection is the treatment of choice. Subtotal resection and "wait and see policy" may be discussed for highly risky intervention.