Abstract
Background: This study attempted to evaluate the clinical features and prognostic factors of elderly patients with retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RLS) and establish a nomogram to predict overall survival (OS). Methods: Patients diagnosed with RLS from 2010 to 2015 were identified from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database. Clinical features and prognostic factors were examined, and a nomogram was constructed. Results: There were many differences between the elderly patients with RLS and the young patients with RLS; these differences included marital status, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and OS (P<0.05). An analysis of prognostic factors showed that surgery, as the main treatment for elderly patients, can significantly improve prognosis. Histological type and AJCC stage also had a significant effect on OS. Unlike the young group, age was an independent prognostic factor for the elderly. Nomograms for the elderly population were developed based on these prognostic factors. The C-indexes of the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival nomograms were 0.737 (95% CI 0.692-0.782), 0.737 (0.692-0.782) and 0.7367 (0.692-0.782), and the AUCs at 1, 3, and 5 years were 0.749, 0.804 and 0.810, respectively. Further results demonstrate the superiority of this approach in risk stratification over the AJCC staging system. Conclusions: Elderly patients with RLS are a particular group of individuals who are distinct from young patients in many clinical characteristics, and the constructed nomograms could accurately predict OS in elderly patients with RLS.