General Abdomen: Retroperitoneal Tumors

Retroperitoneal Tumors – General

Basics

  • Most are Malignant

Causes

  • Lymphoma – Most Common
  • Liposarcoma #2

Retroperitoneal Sarcoma

Basics

  • Account for About 50% of All Soft-Tissue Sarcomas

Presentation

  • Present as Large Masses
  • Typically Do Not Produce Symptoms Until Mass Effect Causes Compression of Other Structure
  • Liposarcoma Can Present as an Apparently Benign Fatty Lesion within the Inguinal Canal

Prognosis

  • Worse Prognosis Than Non-Retroperitoneal Sarcomas
  • High Local Recurrence (50%) & Distant Mets (20-30%)
  • Lymph Node Mets are Rare

Treatment

  • Primary Treatment: Surgical Resection
  • May Consider Neoadjuvant Radiation
    • Adjuvant Radiation Poorly Tolerated Due to Effects on Surrounding Structures

Retroperitoneal Sarcoma 1

Retroperitoneal Sarcoma on CT 2

References

  1. Goyal S, Gupta M, Singal R, Goyal R, Mittal A. A large retroperitoneal tumor with psoas infiltration: A rare case report. N Am J Med Sci. 2010 Jun;2(6):285-7. (License: CC BY-NC-SA-3.0)
  2. Dziewirski W, Rutkowski P, Nowecki ZI, Morysinski T, Sałamacha M, Kulik A, Kawczynska M, Kasprowicz A, Łyczek J, Ruka W. Surgery combined with brachytherapy in patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas. J Contemp Brachytherapy. 2010 Mar;2(1):14-23. (License: CC BY-NC-SA-4.0)