A CASE STUDY ON RETROPERITONEAL MASSES

Abstract

Background  Retroperitoneal masses are a large group of uncommon tumours which originate in the retroperitoneal space in the abdomen. Their diverse presentations and locations make them difficult to diagnose by surgeons and need precise radiological diagnosis. Most of the diagnosed tumours are in advanced size and stage and are malignant in nature. Some of them are radio/chemotherapy sensitive but the definite management should be by complete resections of the tumours. Objectives  The primary aim of our study is to identify patients diagnosed with retroperitoneal masses among elective cases in two surgical hospitals in Sulaimani governorate/ Iraq over four years. All underwent combined surgical management with chemo/radiotherapy and followed up. Materials and Methods Seven patients with retroperitoneal masses are reported in this paper, five of whom are male and two females. Their ages range from 3 to 72 years, and the mean age is 40.4. In addition, other surgeons who practiced in different specialties brought some of the cases to us. Over four years, they were hospitalized and treated at Sulaimani Teaching Hospital and Soma Private Hospital. The patients underwent surgery following a thorough history, physical examination, and imaging, and the histological findings determined the definitive diagnosis. In addition to direct questioning the patients and patients’ parents (as one case was a child) to obtain their consent, information was gathered from the medical records of both hospitals. Results Complete resection of retroperitoneal tumours by surgical approach was reported in five patients included in the study, and residual tumours were reported in two. An uneventful post-operative period in all of them, and recurrence was recorded in the follow-up period in three of them. Histopathological findings were: two well-differentiated liposarcomas, one dedifferentiated liposarcoma, one Ewing sarcoma, one rhabdomyosarcoma, one ganglioneuroma, and one lipoma. Mortality was reported in three of the patients.  Conclusion Retroperitoneal tumours are rare and require precise diagnosis by physical examination and imaging modalities. The primary management method in our study was surgical resection combined with neoadjuvant chemo/radiotherapy and regular follow-up.