[Retroperitoneal sarcomas. Report of five new cases and review of the current situation]

Soft-tissue sarcomas represent a heterogeneous group of rare tumors arising from the mesenchymal cells of the connective tissue. Approximately 15% of these tumors arise in the retroperitoneum. These neoplasms are locally aggressive and the only curative treatment is surgical resection "en-bloc". The main cause of mortality is locoregional recurrence. Five-year survival is 3-58%, depending on the histologic subtype and grade.

Over a 5-year period (2001 to 2006), we performed surgery in five patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas. The mean age was 59 years (range, 46-76) with a male-to-female ratio of 3:2. The most frequent signs were abdominal pain and the appearance of a mass. In 2 patients, an incidental diagnosis was made during the surgical intervention.

Surgical resection was performed in 5 patients but was incomplete in two patients. We removed 2 liposarcomas, 1 leiomyosarcoma, 1 chondrosarcoma and 1 fusocellular sarcoma arising in the kidney. Locoregional recurrence occurred in four patients, requiring between 1 and 2 new relaparotomies (using the retroperitoneal approach in 2 patients). There was one death.

Retroperitoneal sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of tumors, in which the only common factor is the anatomical location. New randomized, prospective, multicenter trials are required to apply different therapeutic options according to the subtype of retroperitoneal sarcoma.