Background Liposarcoma is a form of malignancy found in soft tissues, mostly observed in the extremities. However, retroperitoneum liposarcoma has been seldom reported, and such diagnosis is also neglected. This study aims to present the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and prognosis of 5 different subtypes of liposarcoma and report our experience of treatment of the patients. Methods We conducted a single-center non-intervention retrospective study of 57 retroperitoneal liposarcoma patients who were admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH, Beijing, China) from December 2007 to May 2018. We collected and analyzed the demographic, clinical, imaging, histologic, therapeutic and prognostic data for these patients over a mean 4.5-year follow up period. Results Twenty-five (44%) patients were asymptomatic prior to diagnosis, with abdominal distension as the chief complaint for 18 (32%) patients and abdominal pain observed in 16 (28%) patients. Masses were evaluated by CT (n=48, 84%) or ultrasound (n=25, 44%). Laparotomy (n=52, 91%) was the preferred dominant therapeutic modality rather than laparoscopy (n=5, 9%). All patients were treated with R0 resection except 2 patients who underwent R2 resection. We conducted regular follow-up every 6 months after surgery for a mean duration of 4.5 years. Recurrence was experienced by 15 (26%) patients and a further 11 (19%) died during follow up. Conclusions Abdominal distension and pain are main chief complaints of liposarcoma. As extremity is the main location for liposarcoma occurrence, diagnosis of retroperitoneum liposarcoma is usually neglected. Since half of the patients are asymptomatic, timely diagnosis and treatment are highly dependent on regular ultrasound and CT imaging. R0 resection is the key to retroperitoneal liposarcoma treatment. Comparingly, patients underwent R2 resection, which is considered as a palliative treatment, have bad prognosis. Dedifferentiated liposarcoma, especially those with organ invasion, tend to have bad prognosis, and prognosis for well-differentiated or myxoid liposarcoma is relatively good.