title: Correlation between radiological assessment and histopathological diagnosis in retroperitoneal tumors: analysis of 291 consecutive patients at a tertiary reference sarcoma center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Aim of study was to assess the correlation between computed tomography scan (CT) findings and histopathology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected on consecutive patients with suspected retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) referred to a tertiary sarcoma center. Patients underwent contrast enhanced multi-detector CT scans. Radiological features of lesions were classified according to the presence of a fatty (Group A) mass, or non-fatty (Group B) mass, both subdivided according to homogeneity and intralesional high-contrasted appearance. Radiological classification was compared with histopathological diagnosis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative predictive value (PPV, NPV) were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 291 patients, 103/291 (35.4%) masses were classified in Group A and 188/291 (64.6%) in Group B. Diagnosis of mesenchymal tumor was obtained in 231/291 cases (79%) and non-mesenchymal tumor in 60/291 (21%). Sensitivity and specificity of Group A for liposarcoma were 76.7% and 92.0%; PPV and NPV were 86.4% and 85.6%. Sensitivity of Group B for a mesenchymal tumor was 55.4% and specificity was 0%; PPV and NPV were 68.1% and 0%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  None of radiological criteria were sufficient to anticipate a specific diagnosis, with the only exception of well differentiated liposarcoma and angiomyolipoma. In a series of suspected RPS, 21% of the lesions were finally non-mesenchymal tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morosi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stacchiotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marchianò
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Radaelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sanfilippo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Collini
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barisella
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Casali
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gronchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: marco.fiore@istitutotumori.mi.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiore
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018207:Angiomyolipoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D018222:Desmoid Tumors / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008080:Liposarcoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018209:Myelolipoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Diagnosis; Liposarcoma; Retroperitoneal sarcoma; Soft tissue sarcoma; Surgery