Gastrointestinal and retroperitoneal sarcoma--local experience and review of the literature

Gastrointestinal and retroperitoneal sarcoma are uncommon tumours. Out of 26 cases treated over the last 6 years, there were 16 smooth muscle tumours (SMT) and 10 non Hodgkin Lymphomas (ML). 7 cases of SMT were leiomyosarcoma. The majority of the cases were found in the stomach. 8 cases presented as acute emergencies while the non acute cases had non specific complaints. Despite the use of barium studies, gastroscopy and CT scan, only 5 cases were diagnosed preoperatively. The majority underwent curative resection. ML cases had a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. 2 patients with large and high grade leiomyosarcomas have died. 4 patients with ML have also died, 2 with locally advanced disease and 2 with distant metastases. We conclude that most cases are not diagnosed preoperatively due to their rarity and nonspecific clinical presentation. The important prognostic factors are size and mitotic index for SMT and stage of the disease for ML.