Comparative analysis of percutaneous biopsy and postoperative histopathology of retroperitoneal soft tissue tumors: A single-center retrospective study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of percutaneous biopsy and its concordance with postoperative resection histopathology in terms of histological classification and tumor grade in retroperitoneal soft-tissue tumors (RSTs) . Methods A single-center retrospective study was conducted in 41 Chinese patients with paired percutaneous biopsy and resection specimens. The histological type and tumor grading were reviewed. Resection histopathology was used as the reference standard. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated with exact binomial 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Paired discordance between malignant and non-malignant classifications was assessed using the two-sided exact McNemar test, and FNCLCC grade agreement was evaluated using linearly weighted Cohen’s kappa. Results Exact histological agreement between biopsy and resection classifications was observed in 29 of 41 patients (70.7%; 95% CI, 54.5%–83.9%). The subtype-specific diagnostic accuracy ranged from 82.9% to 92.7%, and the negative predictive values ranged from 88.2% to 100.0%. Biopsy of dedifferentiated liposarcoma, well-differentiated liposarcoma, and leiomyosarcoma had specificities ranging from 97.2% to 100.0% and sensitivities ranging from 20.0% to 63.6%. All five malignant/non-malignant discordances represented lesions classified as non-malignant on biopsy but malignant on resection, whereas no discordance occurred in the opposite direction (exact McNemar P=0.063). The concordance rate of grading was 78% (32/41), with a linearly weighted Cohen’s kappa of 0.659 (95% CI, 0.451–0.867); nine cases of grade 1 lesions on biopsy were upgraded on resection, whereas no lesion was downgraded. Conclusion The pathological diagnosis of RSTs through percutaneous biopsy provided useful preoperative pathological information in this surgery-selected cohort; however, histological concordance varied among tumor subtypes, and both malignant potential and tumor grade could be underestimated. Benign, indeterminate, or low-grade biopsy findings should therefore be interpreted together with imaging findings and multidisciplinary assessment.
Source: Current Problems in Surgery
Authors: Lei Liu, Wenjie Li, Jie Fu, Yanru Fan, Xuezhen Liu
Institution: Peking University International Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,780
OpenAlex ID: W7204526385