Treatment algorithm and surgical outcome for primary and recurrent retroperitoneal sarcomas: A long‐term single‐center experience of 242 cases

Abstract

Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPSs) are difficult to manage, rare malignant tumors. This single-center, retrospective study aimed to analyze the treatment algorithm and outcomes of aggressive surgical treatment in patients with primary and recurrent RPS. Data of 242 consecutive patients with RPS who underwent surgical treatment at the Peking University Cancer Hospital Sarcoma Center between January 2010 and February 2021 were collected and analyzed. Indications for surgery were based on the treatment algorithm. A total of 145 patients with primary RPS and 97 with recurrent RPS were included. The recurrent cohort comprised more patients with multifocal tumors than the primary cohort (64.9% vs. 15.2%). R0/R1 resection was achieved in 94.5% and 81.4% of the primary and recurrent RPS cases, respectively. Major complication rates in the primary and recurrent cohorts were 17.9% and 30.9%, respectively. During a median follow-up of 51 months, the estimated 5-year overall survival, local recurrence, and distant metastasis rates for patients with primary and recurrent RPS were 61.0% versus 37.1%, 47.4% versus 71.3%, and 18.4% versus 17.6%, respectively. Aggressive surgical treatment achieved good local control and long-term survival in patients with primary RPS, whereas the prognosis in patients with recurrence were significantly worse.