# A Case of Rare Adipocytic Tumor of the Tongue: Lipoblastoma-Like Tumor With RB1 Gene Deletion

**Authors:** Yoshihiko Sugita, Hiromasa Hasegawa, Rita R Roy, Katsumitsu Shimada, Takanaga Ochiai, Motohiko Nagayama, Hatsuhiko Maeda

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.94365 · Cureus · 2025-10-11

## TL;DR

A rare case of a lipoblastoma-like tumor on the tongue in an elderly woman is reported, with a genetic deletion in the RB1 gene and distinct histopathological features.

## Contribution

This paper presents a novel case of a lipoblastoma-like tumor of the tongue with RB1 gene deletion, expanding the known clinical and molecular spectrum of these tumors.

## Key findings

- The tumor exhibited a hemizygous deletion of the RB1 locus in 36% of cells.
- Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for S100 but negativity for CD34, PLAG1, BCL-2, MDM2, CDK4, and DDIT3.
- The tumor showed no recurrence five years after surgical removal.

## Abstract

Lipoblastoma-like tumors (LLTs) are benign adipocytic tumors characterized by an admixture of lipoblasts within the myxoid stroma, primarily affecting the vulvovaginal area in young patients. Rare cases have been reported in other locations, including the orofacial region. Here, we present a unique case of LLT of the tongue in a 62-year-old woman with a slowly developing painless nodule. The tumor showed no signs of recurrence five years after surgery. Histopathological examination revealed a myxo-fatty lobulated lesion with numerous uni- and multi-vacuolated lipoblasts and prominent chicken-wire capillaries. Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for S100, whereas the tumor was negative for cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34), pleomorphic adenoma gene 1 (PLAG1), B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2), cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), and DNA damage-inducible transcript 3 (DDIT3). The retinoblastoma protein (pRB) was partially negative and exhibited mosaic patterns. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis indicated a hemizygous deletion of the RB1 locus in 36% of tumor cells, with no MDM2 amplification detected. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges of differentiating LLTs from spindle cell lipomas (SCLs), particularly in the context of pRB deficiency and RB1 deletion. This case exemplifies the molecular heterogeneity of neoplasms with lipoblastoma-like features.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** RB1 (RB transcriptional corepressor 1) [NCBI Gene 5925], CD34 (CD34 molecule) [NCBI Gene 947], PLAG1 (PLAG1 zinc finger) [NCBI Gene 5324], BCL2 (BCL2 apoptosis regulator) [NCBI Gene 596], MDM2 (MDM2 proto-oncogene) [NCBI Gene 4193], CDK4 (cyclin dependent kinase 4) [NCBI Gene 1019], DDIT3 (DNA damage inducible transcript 3) [NCBI Gene 1649], RB1 (RB transcriptional corepressor 1) [NCBI Gene 5925]
- **Diseases:** spindle cell lipoma (MONDO:0000962)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** CD34 (CD34 molecule) [NCBI Gene 947], BCL2 (BCL2 apoptosis regulator) [NCBI Gene 596] {aka Bcl-2, PPP1R50}, PLAG1 (PLAG1 zinc finger) [NCBI Gene 5324] {aka PSA, SGPA, SRS4, ZNF912}, RB1 (RB transcriptional corepressor 1) [NCBI Gene 5925] {aka OSRC, PPP1R130, RB, p105-Rb, p110-RB1, pRb}, S100A1 (S100 calcium binding protein A1) [NCBI Gene 6271] {aka S100, S100-alpha, S100A}, CDK4 (cyclin dependent kinase 4) [NCBI Gene 1019] {aka CMM3, MCPH31, PSK-J3}, DDIT3 (DNA damage inducible transcript 3) [NCBI Gene 1649] {aka AltDDIT3, C/EBPzeta, CEBPZ, CHOP, CHOP-10, CHOP10}
- **Diseases:** SCLs (MESH:D002277), Adipocytic Tumor (MESH:D009369), pRB deficiency (MESH:D007153), LLTs (MESH:D062689)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Methanoculleus sp. dm2 (species) [taxon 224721]

## Full text

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## Figures

3 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12602376/full.md

## References

19 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12602376/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12602376