[Extra-abdominal desmoid tumor--analysis of 26 patients]

Twenty-six patients with extra-abdominal desmoid tumor are reported. The tumor was located in the head and neck (6 cases), chest wall (3 cases), arm and leg (9 cases), paravertebral tissue (6 cases) and in the abdomen (2 cases). Of the 26 patients, 17 were treated for the first time and 9 had recurrent lesions. This tumor, showing aggressive growth, involved peripheral nerves (7 cases), blood vessels (4 cases), bones (11 cases) or viscera (2 cases). Surgery is the treatment of choice. The recurrence rate was 11% in those who received their first treatment. Wide dissection led to lower recurrence than simple excision (23% vs 72%). The authors stress the importance of excising at least 2-3 cm beyond the tumor margin and extra-abdominal desmoid tumor should be treated as a soft tissue tumor with low malignancy.