title: Retroperitoneal sarcomas and their management.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Retroperitoneal sarcomas historically have presented difficulties in their management due to a high rate of unresectability.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine prognostic parameters, resectability, and survival of these patients in a more recent period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review, with a mean follow-up of 47 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care cancer institute.
  
  
  METHODS
  The charts of 90 consecutive patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas treated in the period from 1977 to 1995. No patient referred with a localized retroperitoneal sarcoma was excluded from this review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The resectability rate was 100% for the primary tumors (n = 57) and 88% for the tumors initially presenting as local recurrence (n = 33). The 5-year survival rate was 63% (66% for patients with primary tumors and 57% for those with local recurrence). The 10-year survival rate was 46% (57% for patients with primary tumors and 26% for those referred with local recurrence). The local recurrence rate was 25% for primary tumors and 39% for tumors initially presented as local recurrence (overall rate, 30%); it was 56% after local excision and 16% after wide or radical resection (P < .001). The 5- and 10-year survival rates were 72% and 61%, respectively, for those with wide resection and 55% and 23%, respectively, for those with local excision (P = .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With modern surgical techniques, the overall resectability rate of retroperitoneal sarcomas is 96%. The ensuing survival, affected significantly by the histologic grade, approaches that for the extremity sarcomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, State University of New York at Buffalo, Millard Fillmore Hospital, USA.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Karakousis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gerstenbluth
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kontzoglou
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Driscoll
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D011379:Prognosis; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate