Primary retroperitoneal sarcomas: the role of surgical treatment

Attempting to understand the role surgical excision plays in the therapeutic efforts to provide cure or palliation in patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas, the literature on the subject was reviewed and 13 such cases were analyzed. A palpable abdominal mass was recorded in 10 patients. Intravenous pyelography suggested the diagnosis in nine patients. The diagnosis was difficult to establish before celiotomy, which was performed in 12 patients. In six the tumor was unresectable; it was partially resected in five and completely removed in one. This study suggests that the primary mode of spread of these tumors is direct invasion. The only objective benefit of operation was to provide a tissue-proven diagnosis. Radiation therapy, after the diagnosis was established, appeared to be the most effective therapeutic measure for retroperitoneal sarcomas. The value of additional chemotherapy could not be established.