A Case of Recurrent Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma

Dr. M. V. Krishna Raj M. S. , G. Gopu M. S.

Abstract: Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) are a rare group of cancers whose management can be challenging due to various presentation patterns, multiple organ involvement, and a high local and distant recurrence rate. Retroperitoneal sarcomas comprise approximately 10% of all soft tissue sarcomas, out of which around two - thirds of retroperitoneal sarcomas are high grade (either grade 2 or 3). Though any histologic type of soft tissue sarcoma may arise in the retroperitoneal space, liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma do so most commonly. Retroperitoneal sarcomas are diagnostically challenging, owing to their diversity and morphological overlap with other tumors arising in the retroperitoneum. The main imaging methods used for staging and surgical planning, as well as for selecting the biopsy site and guiding the biopsy procedure, are computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. In most cases, the treatment is challenging, because of the size of the lesions (70% are >10 cm at diagnosis), vascular involvement, or involvement of adjacent organs. Histopathology and prognostic factors analysis are essential to predict the behaviour of the disease and plan the best therapeutic strategy.

Keywords: retroperitoneal sarcoma, liposarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging