Giant retroperitoneal liposarcoma: Surgical management of a difficult case with acute abdomen

Abstract

Retroperitoneal sarcomas are a relatively rare disease that represent a challenge for the surgeon especially when the mass reaches remarkable size and causes anatomical subversion. Liposarcoma is one of the most common histological subtypes. It often grows asymptomatic till considerable dimensions. From literature we know that the only possibility of radical treatment is the complete surgical resection. Although that approach improves the prognosis, local recurrence is the main cause of mortality. Actually, liposarcomas have no support of complementary radio-chemotherapies. This report describes the clinical presentation and surgical management of a patient with a symptomatic huge retroperitoneal sarcoma.