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Updated: Jun 30, 2026
A Mouse Model of Incompletely Resected Soft Tissue Sarcoma for Testing (Neo)adjuvant Therapies
Published on: July 28, 2020
Retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma: prognostic factors and therapeutic approaches
Fabio Pacelli1, Antonio Pio Tortorelli, Fausto Rosa
1Department of Surgical Sciences, Digestive Surgery Division, Catholic University School of Medicine, Rome, Italy. fpacelli@rm.unicatt.it
Aims And Background:
Retroperitoneal sarcomas are a rare group of malignant soft tissue tumors with a generally poor prognosis. The aim of the study was to assess clinical, pathological and treatment-related factors affecting prognosis in patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas.
Methods And Study Design:
The hospital records of 73 patients who underwent surgical exploration at our unit for primary retroperitoneal sarcomas between 1984 and 2003 were reviewed. Factors influencing overall and disease-free survival were analyzed for all patients and for those who underwent complete surgical resection.
Results:
The complete resectability rate was 69.8% (51/73). Operative mortality and morbidity rates were 2.7% and 21.9%, respectively. For patients who underwent complete resection, the 5-year survival rate was 58.3%, whereas it was 0% in cases of incomplete or no resection (P < 0.001). Local recurrence rate was 37.2%. Incomplete gross surgical resection and microscopic infiltration of margins were the most important independent predictors of a poor prognosis.
Conclusions:
The present study confirmed the importance of an aggressive surgical management for retroperitoneal sarcomas to offer these patients the best chance for long-term survival.
