Clinician survey of current global practice for sarcoma surveillance following resection of primary retroperitoneal, abdominal, and pelvic sarcoma

Introduction: – Postoperative surveillance following resection of primary retroperitoneal, abdominal, and pelvic sarcoma (RPS) is standard of care in international sarcoma centres and has rapidly evolved without an evidence base to become highly intensive and prolonged. This clinician survey aims to capture a global, contemporary snapshot of international guidelines used to inform sarcoma surveillance following resection of primary RPS.

Materials and methods: – Between July 2022 and March 2023, an online, anonymous, clinician survey to assess the current duration, imaging intervals and imaging modalities used for postoperative surveillance following resection of primary RPS was distributed among clinicians working at centres which are members of the TransAtlantic Australasian Retroperitoneal Working Group (TARPSWG).

Results: – Responses were received from 58 different TARPSWG centres. The majority of centres use institutional guidelines to guide surveillance intensity (n = 43, 74%) and the surveillance imaging modality (n = 39, 67%) used. For surveillance intensity and imaging modality, institutional guidelines are partially or entirely based on international guidelines in 81% (n = 47) and 78% (n = 45) of centres, respectively. Commonly used imaging modalities are contrast-enhanced CT abdomen-pelvis (n = 51, 88%) for abdominal surveillance and non-contrast enhanced CT (n = 25, 43%) for chest surveillance. Imaging intervals, timing of de-escalation of imaging frequency and total duration of surveillance for low-grade and high-grade RPS are reported.

Conclusion: – This global survey among TARPSWG members demonstrates the heterogeneity in sarcoma surveillance strategies worldwide and emphasises the need for a randomised controlled trial to provide an evidence base for the optimal surveillance schedule following primary resection of RPS.