Surgery at non-sarcoma center linked with incomplete resection, worse outcomes

Surgical expertise is an important factor in the outcome of resection in patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS), according to a study.

This study analyzed the outcomes of 35 patients with RPS treated at a single center, of which 23 received their primary resection at a sarcoma center and 12 in a non-sarcoma center. The median tumor size was 24 cm.

Midline laparotomy was performed in 31 patients. The remaining 4 patients had flank incisions and were all operated on in a non-sarcoma center. No patient operated on at a non-sarcoma center received a multivisceral resection.

In patients undergoing treatment at a non-sarcoma center, more incomplete resections were observed, and patients experienced significantly worse recurrence-free survival and disease-free survival after R0/1 resection.

Reference
Aeschbacher P, Kollár A, Candinas D, et al. The Role of Surgical Expertise and Surgical Access in Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Resection – A Retrospective Study. Front Surg. 2022;9:883210. doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2022.883210. PMID: 35647004; PMCID: PMC9133808.