Desmoplastic small round cell tumor: a clinical, pathological, and immunohistochemical study of 18 Chinese cases

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) was first reported in 1989. Generally, DSRCT is considered to be an aggressive malignant neoplasm that mainly occurs in the abdominal cavity and has been often seen in adolescents and young male adults. In the present study, a total of 18 cases of DSRCT reported in China between October 1998 and June 2006, including one case treated by the authors, were reviewed and analyzed. Among them, 14 had tumors in the abdominal cavity; the other four cases had tumors in the left fossa orbitalis, the root of the tongue, the soft tissue behind the left eyeball, and the abdominal wall (umbilicus). Overall, the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates were 52.36%, 27.92%, and 27.92%, respectively. The survival rate of DSRCT patients is disappointing; however, the survival of patients who had resection of the tumor or received comprehensive clinical treatment is satisfactory.