Desmoid tumor

Desmoid tumor
Desmoid tumors are benign soft tissue tumors that occur most often in young adults and involve the limbs or trunk but can also arise in the abdomen or thorax. Desmoid tumors are benign. They never metastasize (spread to other parts of the body). However, they are very difficult to remove because they intertwine extensively with the surrounding tissues. These tumors look like dense scar tissue. Just like scar tissue, they adhere tenaciously to surrounding structures and organs. Surgery has been the traditional main mode of therapy for desmoid tumors but up to 70% of desmoid tumors recur after surgery. Radiation therapy has also been used to treat desmoid tumors. However, this exposes the patient to significant radiation with damage to surrounding tissues and puts them at risk for a cancer caused by the radiation (a secondary malignancy). Radiation also is hampered by a moderate recurrence rate. The combination of surgery and radiation has also been used to treat these stubborn tumors. While somewhat successful, the combination of wide resection surgery and high dose radiation represents very aggressive treatment for a "benign" condition. Limited (low dose) chemotherapy emerged in 1989 as a less aggressive treatment for desmoid tumors. The anti-tumor drugs are given in low doses, so there are minimal short-term and usually no long-term side effects. Limited (low dose) chemotherapy causes one-third of desmoid tumors to vanish, one-third to shrink and the remaining third appear not to change, but they rarely progress and usually stop hurting. Desmoid tumors are also called aggressive fibromatosis because they are locally aggressive and fibrous like scar tissue.

* * *

a fibromatous tumor arising in the musculoaponeurotic tissue, usually of the abdominal wall, and often closely resembling fibrosarcoma; desmoid tumors are not encapsulated, are locally invasive, and rarely metastasize. Extraabdominal desmoid tumors occur most frequently in the shoulder girdle, arm, thigh, neck, pelvis, forearm, and popliteal fossa.

Desmoid tumor of the posterior thigh; sagittal MRI shows a lobular mass along the sciatic nerve.


Medical dictionary. 2011.

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Desmoid-Tumor — Der Desmoid Tumor ist ein Tumor aus der Gruppe der Fibromatosen, der sich an den Umhüllungen von Muskeln (Muskelfaszien) bildet. Aufgrund seines Verhaltens, der Neigung in das umliegende Gewebe infiltrierend einzuwachsen wird der Desmoid Tumor… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Desmoid tumor — A desmoid tumor (sometimes referred to as aggressive fibromatosis ) is a rare (3 per million population) tumor that may or may not be part of a genetic syndrome such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Histologically they resemble low grade… …   Wikipedia

  • desmoid tumor — A tumor of the tissue that surrounds muscles, usually in the abdomen. A desmoid tumor rarely metastasizes (spreads to other parts of the body). It may be called aggressive fibromatosis when the tumor is outside of the abdomen …   English dictionary of cancer terms

  • Desmoid — Der Desmoid Tumor ist ein strahlenresistenter Tumor aus der Gruppe der Fibromatosen, der sich an den Umhüllungen von Muskeln (Muskelfaszien) bildet. Aufgrund seines Verhaltens, der Neigung in das umliegende Gewebe infiltrierend einzuwachsen wird… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Tumor, desmoid — Desmoid tumors are benign soft tissue tumors that occur most often in young adults and involve the limbs or trunk but can also arise in the abdomen or thorax. Desmoid tumors are benign. They never metastasize (spread to other parts of the body).… …   Medical dictionary

  • desmoid — 1. Fibrous or ligamentous. 2. A nodule or relatively large mass of unusually firm scarlike connective tissue resulting from active proliferation of fibroblasts, occurring most frequently in the abdominal muscles of women who have borne children;… …   Medical dictionary

  • tumor — 1. Any swelling or tumefaction. 2. SYN: neoplasm. 3. One of the four signs of inflammation (t., calor, dolor, rubor) enunciated by Celsus. [L. t., a swelling] acinar cell t. a …   Medical dictionary

  • desmoid — /dez moyd/, adj. Anat., Zool. 1. resembling a fascia or fibrous sheet. 2. resembling a ligament; ligamentous. n. 3. Pathol. a firm and tough tumor of nonmetastasizing, fibrous tissue. [1840 50; < Gk desm(ós) (see DESMID) + OID] * * * …   Universalium

  • desmoid fibromatosis — see under tumor …   Medical dictionary

  • desmoid — /dez moyd/, adj. Anat., Zool. 1. resembling a fascia or fibrous sheet. 2. resembling a ligament; ligamentous. n. 3. Pathol. a firm and tough tumor of nonmetastasizing, fibrous tissue. [1840 50; < Gk desm(ós) (see DESMID) + OID] …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”