title: Giant retroperitoneal liposarcoma: Case report and review of the literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Retroperitoneal soft-tissue sarcomas are relatively uncommon diseases, the most frequent histotype, ranging from 20% to 45% of all cases, is represented by liposarcoma, which is a hard-to treat condition for its local aggressiveness and clinical aspecificity.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report a case of a 64-years-old woman who underwent surgical resection for a giant pleomorphic retroperitoneal liposarcoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Currently chemotherapy for retroperitoneal soft-tissue sarcomas is no effective, and radiotherapy has limited efficacy due to the toxicity affecting adjacent intra-abdominal structures, showed validity only in case of high-grade malignancy by reducing local recurrence, but with no advantage in overall survival. Nowadays only, the complete surgical resection remains the most important predictor of local recurrence and overall survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The removal of a retroperitoneal sarcoma of remarkable size is a challenge for the surgeon owing to the anatomical site, to the absence of an anatomically evident vascular-lymphatic peduncle and to the adhesions contracted with the contiguous organs and with the great vessels. Therefore, we believe that, particularly for large-size diseases associated to high-grade malignancy, a complete surgical resection with removal of the contiguous intra and retroperitoneal organs when infiltrated represents the only therapeutic option to obtain a negative margin and therefore an oncological radicality.
authors.affiliation: Institution and Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caizzone
authors.affiliation: Institution and Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Saladino
authors.affiliation: Institution and Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy. Electronic address: franz.fleres@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fleres
authors.affiliation: Institution and Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Cosimo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paviglianiti
authors.affiliation: Institution and Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iaropoli
authors.affiliation: Institution and Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mazzeo
authors.affiliation: Institution and Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cucinotta
authors.affiliation: Institution and Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macrì
keywords: Myxoid areas; Radical treatment; Retroperitoneal liposarcoma; Soft tissue sarcomas