Lipoblast

A lipoblast is a precursor cell for an adipocyte. Alternate terms include adipoblast and preadipocyte. Early stages are almost indistinguishable from fibroblasts.

• Lipoblasts (white arrow) and lipocytes (black arrow), in a case of lipoblastoma
• Micrograph showing a lipoblast (left-bottom of image) in a liposarcoma. H&E stain.
• Histopathology of liposarcoma, H&E stain, with the main features:
  - Spindle cells with enlarged, hyperchromatic nuclei.
  - Apparently univacuolated adipocytes (may look normal).
  - Lipoblasts (multivacuolated), but neither necessary nor sufficient for diagnosis of liposarcoma.
• Lipid-laden histiocytes may mimic lipoblasts, but have lightly eosinophilic cytoplasm and a small normochromatic nuclei which are not hollowed out from the lipid vacuoles.