Ding YZ, Tang DQ, Zhao XJ. Esophageal fistula after resection of giant mediastinal liposarcoma: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(35): 115410 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i35.115410]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xiao-Jing Zhao, PhD, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 160 Pujian Road, Shanghai 200127, China. 18133@renji.com
Research Domain of This Article
Surgery
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Dec 16, 2025; 13(35): 115410 Published online Dec 16, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i35.115410
Esophageal fistula after resection of giant mediastinal liposarcoma: A case report
Yi-Zong Ding, Dao-Qiang Tang, Xiao-Jing Zhao
Yi-Zong Ding, Xiao-Jing Zhao, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
Dao-Qiang Tang, Department of Pathology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
Author contributions: Ding YZ was responsible for conceptualizing the study and drafting the initial manuscript; Tang DQ was responsible for curating the data; Zhao XJ provided a critical review, edited the manuscript, and supervised the study, provided guidance throughout the writing process; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no competing interests.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xiao-Jing Zhao, PhD, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 160 Pujian Road, Shanghai 200127, China. 18133@renji.com
Received: October 17, 2025 Revised: November 11, 2025 Accepted: December 10, 2025 Published online: December 16, 2025 Processing time: 61 Days and 14.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Liposarcoma is the most common soft tissue tumor in adults. Liposarcoma commonly occurs in the lower extremities and retroperitoneum but rarely in the mediastinum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of bilateral single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for giant mediastinal liposarcoma and the first report of esophageal fistula after this surgery.
CASE SUMMARY
We present the case of a 71-year-old male patient with a giant posterior mediastinal tumor. Chest computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed that the tumor completely involved the esophagus. The patient underwent bilateral single-port VATS and the tumor was completely removed. An esophageal fistula was detected 9 days after surgery and 2 days after eating. Emergency debridement surgery was performed, and a drainage tube was placed. The fistula healed gradually after the second surgery.
CONCLUSION
VATS is safer than thoracotomy for treating giant mediastinal liposarcoma. For tumors extensively involving the esophagus, preventive measures against esophageal fistula are necessary.
Core Tip: We report a very rare case of giant mediastinal liposarcoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of bilateral single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for giant mediastinal liposarcoma and the first report of esophageal fistula after this surgery. This report provided valuable lessons and reference for selection of appropriate surgical approach and the management of postoperative esophageal fistula.
