title: Surgical treatment of retrorectal tumors: a retrospective study of a ten-year experience in three institutions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The relative rarity and anatomical position of retrorectal tumors may lead to difficulty in diagnosis and surgical management.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective review of 93 patients who had resection of retrorectal tumors between 2002 and 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients in this study were treated with excision of the retrorectal tumors. Surgical approach included transsacral approach (78 cases), transabdominal approach (12 cases) and combined approach (3 cases). Seventy-two benign lesions (77.4%) and 21 malignant (22.6%) were confirmed by histological examination. The 72 benign cases included dermoid cysts (26 cases), simple cysts (12 cases), teratomas (12 cases), neurofibromas (12 cases), fibrolipomas (6 cases), neurilemmomas (3 cases) and synovioma (1 case). The twenty-one malignant cases included lymphomas (6 cases), malignant teratomas (5 cases), fibrosarcomas (3 cases), interstitialomas (6 cases) and malignant mesothelioma (1 case). Complications occurred in 16.1% of patients including intra-operative bleedings (6 cases), rectal injury (6 cases) and presacral infection (3 cases).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary retrorectal tumors are very rare. Successful treatment of these tumors requires extensive knowledge of pelvic anatomy and expertise in pelvic surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, The Affiliated Dongyang Hospital, Wenzhou Medical College, Zhejiang, China. dr.dufangmin@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Fangmin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Ketao
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Xiaofang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Feilin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D003884:Dermoid Cyst / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000601:surgery; D009455:Neurofibroma / Q000601:surgery; D010386:Pelvic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D012007:Rectum / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D012445:Sacrococcygeal Region / Q000601:surgery*; D013584:Sarcoma, Synovial / Q000601:surgery; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology; D013724:Teratoma / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult