Desmoid Tumor Presenting as a Typical Cervical Dumbbell Tumor: Case Report and Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND: Dumbbell-shaped tumor is a type of inner and outer cervical spinal canal tumor, and most of these are neurogenic. Desmoid tumors are rare, and, to the best of our knowledge, no case of desmoid tumors involving intervertebral foramen formed dumbbell-shaped tumors in the cervical spine have been reported before in English literature. Here we report a case of a desmoid tumor occurring in the cervical spine that is presented as a typical dumbbell-shaped tumor. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 47-year-old woman was admitted to our department with a mass in the left side of her neck. The tumor was initially thought to be a neurogenic cervical dumbbell tumor based on physical and radiologic examination. Postoperative hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining verified the diagnosis of a cervical dumbbell desmoid tumor, which, to our knowledge, had never been reported before. We report our experience and reviewed literature regarding desmoid tumor to share our experience and explore proper treatment options of such lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Desmoid tumors in the head and neck may present as cervical dumbbell-shaped tumors. Before the treatment plan was made, thorough examinations, including surgical pathology, were necessary.