Palliative Resection of a Giant Mesenteric Desmoid Tumor

Desmoid tumors are relatively uncommon tumors, and those occurring sporadically and in an intraabdominal location are especially rare. Although desmoid tumors have a benign histologic appearance and lack the ability to metastasize, they can invade locally, often aggressively, grow to large sizes, and recur repeatedly.

We present the case of a symptomatic, giant mesenteric desmoid tumor discovered incidentally during workup for the patient's previous history of lung cancer. The patient elected to undergo palliative resection of the tumor because of persistent and unrelenting abdominal pain.

Because of the rarity of the disease, no clear evidence-based guidelines exist for the treatment of sporadic mesenteric desmoid tumors. Review of the available literature suggests that surgical resection with negative margins is a reasonable approach for patients with symptomatic tumors.