title: Primary and recurrent retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma: prognostic factors affecting survival.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze treatment and survival in 34 patients (28 resected) with primary or recurrent retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between July 1994 and January 2001, 34 patients (15M, 19F; mean age: 56 years, range: 25-77) were evaluated. Complete resection was defined as removal of gross tumor with histologically confirmed clear resection margins.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-eight out of 34 patients (82%) (15 were affected by primary RPS, and 13 by recurrent RPS), underwent surgical exploration. Twenty-three patients had a grossly and microscopically complete resection, (3 having a grossly incomplete resection and 2 patients with a grossly complete resection having histologically involved resection margins). Twenty-one out of 28 patients (75%) underwent removal of contiguous intra-abdominal organs. Preoperative mortality was nil, and morbidity occurred in six cases only (21%). High tumor grade results a significant variable for a worse survival in all 28 patients (100% 5 years survival for low grade vs. 0% for high grade; P = 0.0004). Amongst completely resected patients, only histologic grade and peroperative blood transfusions affected disease-free survival (P = 0.04 and P = 0.05, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An aggressive surgical approach in both primary and recurrent RPS is associated with long-term survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, European Institute of Oncology, University of Milano, Milan, Italy. antonio.chiappa@unimi.it
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiappa
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Zbar
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bertani
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Biffi
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Luca
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crotti
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Testori
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lazzaro
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: De Pas
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Andreoni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality*; D011379:Prognosis; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017741:Survivors