Oncovascular compartmental resection for retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma with vascular involvement

This study analyzed the outcomes of a series of consecutive patients diagnosed with a retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma (RSTS) with vascular involvement and who underwent a multidisciplinary operation.

Between 2000 and 2013, 126 patients were referred for oncovascular surgery in our institution. Among these, 31 consecutive patients underwent operations for RSTS with vascular involvement. A vascular/oncologic team determined the surgical strategy preoperatively.

Median follow-up was 34.4 months (interquartile range, 48.1 months). Twenty patients (65%) were referred for primary RSTS and 11 (35%) for local recurrence. The most common histologic diagnosis was liposarcoma (54.8%), mainly high-grade and intermediate-grade RSTS. Prosthetic grafts were usually used for vascular reconstruction. Median hospital stay was 17 days (interquartile range, 14.5; range, 7-190 days). The grade 3 and 4 morbidity rate was 19.3%. Each resection was macroscopically complete (R0-R1). Median progression-free survival was 10 months, and median overall survival was not reached. Overall survival rates were 77.4% at 1 year and 61.3% at 3 years.

Vascular resection and reconstruction are safe and feasible in case of RSTS. The morbidity rate was acceptable, and there were no perioperative deaths. Despite recurrence rates that remain high, oncovascular resection enhances resection margins and allows encouraging survival results for patients often considered as nonresectable.