Primary squamous cell carcinoma arising from the pelvic retroperitoneum

Abstract

Primary retroperitoneal squamous cell carcinoma is very rare. A 66-year-old woman presented with right leg edema and pain that had developed one month prior. Pelvis magnetic resonance imaging showed the presence of a mass around the iliac vessels invading the iliacus muscle, right femoral head and obturator muscle. The patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy but the mass was not completely removed. The patient was treated with concurrent chemoradiation therapy with paclitaxel-carboplatin and Tomotherapy three weeks after surgery. After that, she conducted a further seven cycles of different chemotherapy. A abdomen CT scan after the last seven cycles showed a reduction in the size of the primary mass from 7.2 to 6.6 cm, consistent with a partial response to treatment. As a result, the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in these tumors is controversial. And it is considered that complete resection is more important.