[Desmoids: are there any new developments?]

In the submitted review of the literature the authors evaluate contemporary therapeutic possibilities of mesenterial desmoids. A more detailed pattern of cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic chemotherapy, actinotherapy and hormonal therapy is presented. Surgical resection is limited by the size of the tumour and above all by early detection before the size of 15 cm is reached. In larger tumours conservative treatment by a combination of non-cytotoxic and hormonal treatment is better. Actinotherapy of the intraabdominal region is not suitable. The percentage of relapses is high, a standard therapeutic procedure has not been elaborated so far. Despite rather surprising remissions of desmoids in individual cases the general results of different groups are not encouraging. In a case-history the authors describe their experience with the treatment of a young female patient with a mesenterial desmoid which, however, was not successful.