DESMOID TUMORS - THERAPEUTIC INDICATIONS - A REPORT ON 42 PATIENTS

Forty six desmoid tumours diagnosed between 1965 and 1989 are reported. The authors only studied the 42 with a follow-up of more than 6 months : 26 females and 16 men, mean age 29.7 years. They were 14 abdominal desmoid tumours with only 4 local post excision recurrences. Among the 28 patients with extra abdominal desmoid tumors, 26 underwent surgical excision of their lesion : 21 (80%) had a local recurrence and 9 of them had evolutive tumour at the end of the study. Major resection was performed only 3 times and 1 pulmonary metastatis is reported. One desmoid tumor became a malignant sarcoma. External post-operative radiotherapy was used in 16 patients with 50% free from disease at the end of the survey. 7 patients received Tamoxifen (2 partial responses). Recurrence rate was significantly higher in men (P = 0.0147). Young age (< 30 years old) and partial excision seem to improve the recurrence rate but without statistical significance.