Resection of Recurrent Retroperitoneal Sarcoma Linked to Improved Survival

Resection is associated with improved overall survival among patients with recurrent retroperitoneal sarcoma, according to a study published in Cancer.¹

Radical surgical resection is the established standard of care for patients with primary retroperitoneal sarcoma, though patients often have locoregional and/or distant recurrence.

To evaluate post-relapse outcomes of patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma who initially underwent surgical resection of their primary tumor, investigators analyzed data from 1007 patients who underwent macroscopically complete resection for primary retroperitoneal sarcoma. Of those, 408 developed disease recurrence during the median follow-up period of 41 months.

The 219 patients who developed locoregional recurrence had a median overall survival of 33 months; the 146 patients who had distant metastasis had a median survival of 25 months. The 43 patients who developed both had a median survival of 12 months.

The 5-year overall survival rates were 29%, 20%, and 14% for patients who developed locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis, and both, respectively.

The time interval to locoregional recurrence (P = .0001) and resection of locoregional recurrence (P < .0001) were significant predictors of overall survival after locoregional recurrence.

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For patients with distant metastasis, the time interval to distant metastasis (P = .0052) and histologic subtype (P = .0038) predicted overall survival.

Receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy did not predict overall survival in either subgroup.

The study demonstrated that patients who underwent resection of recurrent disease had a longer median overall survival than others, suggesting that clinicians should consider resection for patients with locally recurrent or metastatic retroperitoneal sarcoma.