title: Resectability of retroperitoneal sarcomas: a matter of surgical technique?
abstract: The management of retroperitoneal sarcomas has been hampered by the difficulty in complete resection, the resectability rate in the literature being about 53%. In a review of the last 88 consecutive patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas the resectability rate was 95%. At a mean follow-up of 48 months, the local recurrence rate was 17% following wide resection and 59% following local excision (P = 0.0002). For patients with minimum follow-up of 5 years, the local recurrence rate was 39% for those with primary tumours and 57% for those referred with local recurrence. Local recurrence diminished the rate of long-term survival. The 5- and 10-year survival rates for the primary retroperitoneal sarcomas (n = 55) were 66% and 57% and for those referred with locally recurrent sarcoma (n = 33) 57% and 26%, respectively. The 5-year survival rate varied significantly with the grade of the tumour, from 88% for Grade I to 44% for Grade III tumours (P = 0.006). In conclusion, with modern surgical techniques the resectability rate of retroperitoneal sarcomas is about 95%, and the survival rate of the primary tumours approximates that of the primary soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities.
authors.affiliation: State University of New York at Buffalo (Millard Fillmore Hospitals) 14263, USA.
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Karakousis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kontzoglou
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Driscoll
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed