Lipoma

Lipoma and its variants comprise a relatively uncommon tumor in the foot, despite being one of the most common soft tissue tumors in other areas of the body.

Most occur in adults between 40 and 60 years when fat begins to accumulate. They are more common in men and more common in obese individuals. About 5 to 8% of cases present with multiple lipomas.

Angiolipoma is a variant of lipoma that occurs in young adults as a subcutaneous nodule. The tumors are tender to the touch and rarely grow larger than 2 cm. Multiple angiolipomas are found in two-thirds of patients with angiolipoma.

On MRI scans, the signal characteristics of lipoma are identical to those of nearby normal fat in all sequences. Treatment is by simple excision. Recurrence is rare and malignant transformation has not been reported.

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