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Desmoplastic small round cell tumors in a young man
Genryu Hirano1, Makoto Irie, Yuta Nakashima
1Department of Gastroenterology and Medicine, Fukuoka University Faculty of Medicine, Japan. g.hirano@minf.med.fukuoka-u.ac.jp
Insights
A rare desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) diagnosis in an 18-year-old male liver patient was confirmed via biopsy and genetic testing. Despite palliative chemotherapy, the aggressive cancer led to partial remission and death within 20 months.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genetics
Background:
- Desmoplastic small round cell tumors (DSRCT) are rare, aggressive neoplasms typically affecting young males.
- Intrahepatic manifestation of DSRCT is exceptionally uncommon, presenting diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.
Observation:
- An 18-year-old male presented with abdominal pain and was diagnosed with intrahepatic DSRCT.
- Percutaneous biopsy revealed a polyphenotypic immunoprofile and the characteristic EWS-WT1 gene fusion.
Findings:
- The DSRCT had invaded the mesentery and disseminated to the liver.
- Palliative chemotherapy including carboplatin, paclitaxel, vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, etoposide, and irinotecan resulted in partial remission.
Implications:
- This case highlights the aggressive nature and poor prognosis of intrahepatic DSRCT, even with multi-agent chemotherapy.
- Further research into novel therapeutic strategies for advanced DSRCT is warranted.
Abstract:
A previously healthy 18-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with abdominal pain in September 2010. We performed a percutaneous biopsy of multiple intrahepatic masses. A diagnosis of desmoplastic small round cell tumors was confirmed based on the presence of a polyphenotypic immunoprofile (positivity for EMA, vimentin, cytokeratin, desmin and WT1) and characteristic EWS-WT1 gene fusion. Because the mass had invaded the mesentery and the disease had disseminated to liver, the patient received palliative chemotherapy with carboplatin, paclitaxel, vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, etoposide and irinotecan. The maximal response to the chemotherapy was a partial remission. The patient died 20 months after diagnosis.
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