Osteochondrolipoma: a subcutaneous lipoma with chondroid and bone differentiation of the chest wall.

Lipomas are the most common subtype of benign soft tissue neoplasms and can occur anywhere in the body. Differentiation into a diversity of mesenchymal elements, such as blood vessels, fibrous tissue or muscle, is a frequent event. However, the presence of bone or cartilage in these tumors is extraordinarily rare with very few cases reported in the head and neck area. We report a case of an 'osteochondrolipoma' of the chest wall, in a young individual, providing a rationale in support of this as a possible and distinctive histologic subtype of lipomas, as well as discussion in the differential diagnosis of this lesion.