Favorable control of rapidly progressive retroperitoneal pleomorphic leiomyosarcoma with multimodality therapy: a case report

Background Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS), such as pleomorphic leiomyosarcoma, often invade or displace vital organs in the abdominal cavity and exhibit an aggressive clinical course. Complete surgical resection of the tumor and preoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapies can be used for non-metastatic RPS. However, in case of huge retroperitoneal sarcoma fully occupying the abdominal cavity, surgical resection tends to be insufficient, resulting in poor outcomes. This report describes a case of rapidly progressive retroperitoneal pleomorphic leiomyosarcoma that was favorably controlled by debulking surgery followed by combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy.