Retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcomas: prognosis and treatment of primary and recurrent disease in 117 patients.
BACKGROUND
The objective of this study was to define prognostic factors for patients with primary soft tissue sarcomas (STS) arising from the retroperitoneum.


METHODS
One hundred and seventeen consecutive patients, resected in our institutions between July 1972 and November 2002, were reviewed.


RESULTS
The prognostic factors predicting survival were incomplete resection, a tumor of high grade (G3), metastases to lymph nodes and distant metastasis. Patients with a malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) or a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) had a worse prognosis than those patients with other tumors. The prognostic factors predicting local recurrence were incomplete resection and high grade (G3). The prognostic factors predicting metastasis were incomplete resection, lymph node metastasis at the time of the resection of the primary tumor and tumor histology.


CONCLUSIONS
Since only complete tumor resection offers a chance for cure, it is mandatory, and local control remains the most significant challenge in the management of retroperitoneal sarcomas. Other therapies can support surgical treatment, depending on the tumor localization and histological entity. The management of patients with a STS should be provided by a specialized team of surgeons, oncologists and radiotherapists, and patients should be enrolled in a treatment study whenever possible.
Alldinger
Ingo
I
Department of Visceral-, Thoracic- and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, D-01307 Dresden, Germany. Ingo.Alldinger@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
Yang
Qin
Q
Pilarsky
Christian
C
Saeger
Hans-Detlev
HD
Knoefel
Wolfram T
WT
Peiper
Matthias
M
D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D051677:Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D008080:Liposarcoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D018317:Nerve Sheath Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy