# Thoracic Paravertebral Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma Masquerading as Spinal Tuberculosis: Case Report and Review of Literature

## TL;DR

A rare case of spinal liposarcoma was initially mistaken for tuberculosis, highlighting the need for biopsy to confirm diagnosis.

## Contribution

This case report highlights the diagnostic challenge of distinguishing liposarcoma from spinal tuberculosis using imaging alone.

## Key findings

- A 68-year-old patient had a thoracic paravertebral liposarcoma misdiagnosed as spinal tuberculosis.
- Histopathological confirmation was necessary to correctly identify the tumor as a liposarcoma.
- The patient's refusal of chemotherapy led to rapid disease recurrence.

## Abstract

Primary poorly differentiated liposarcoma of the spine represents an exceptionally rare clinical entity. We present a 68-year-old patient with a poorly differentiated liposarcoma originating in the thoracic paraspinal region that was initially misdiagnosed as spinal tuberculosis. Although surgical decompression and subsequent biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of liposarcoma, the patient declined adjuvant chemotherapy and experienced disease recurrence within 2 months. This case underscores the critical consideration that differentiated spinal sarcomas may be radiologically indistinguishable from spinal tuberculosis, necessitating histopathological confirmation for accurate diagnosis.