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What is the best treatment for desmoid tumor?
Complete surgical excision of desmoid tumors is the most effective method of cure. This sometimes necessitates removal of most of an anterior compartment of a leg. Extensive cases may require excision plus adjuvant treatment including chemotherapy and repeat surgery.
How do you shrink a desmoid tumor?
Anti-inflammatory drugs may cause the tumor to slowly shrink. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and drugs such as Imatinib are used to treat desmoid tumors.
Can you have multiple desmoid tumors?
A desmoid tumor is an abnormal growth that arises from connective tissue , which is the tissue that provides strength and flexibility to structures such as bones, ligaments, and muscles. Typically, a single tumor develops, although some people have multiple tumors. The tumors can occur anywhere in the body.
Do desmoid tumors metastasize?
Desmoid tumors are benign, which means they are not cancer. While the cells of the desmoid tumor do not travel to parts the body like cancer can, they can invade nearby tissue and are often very painful.
Are desmoid tumors curable?
Some desmoid tumors are slow growing and don’t require immediate treatment. Others grow quickly and are treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or other drugs.
Are desmoid tumors vascular?
Extremity desmoid tumors are extremely rare. ]. This case report documents an extremity desmoid tumor that had been diagnosed as a vascular tumor based on its magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics.
Do desmoid tumors recur?
Desmoid tumors often recur, or come back, at or near the original tumor site after surgery. Reported recurrence rates after surgery vary widely, from approximately 20\% to as high as 80\%.
What is considered a large desmoid tumor?
Sometimes, the lump is painful. Most lumps are not a desmoid tumor. However, it is important to talk with your doctor about any lumps that are larger than 2 inches (5 centimeters), grow larger, or are painful, regardless of their location.
Can a desmoid tumor be fatal?
Desmoid tumors are considered benign (noncancerous) because they don’t spread to other areas of your body. However, sometimes desmoid tumors grow aggressively, affecting nearby structures. In very rare instances, they can be fatal.
How do you relieve pain from a desmoid tumor?
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can sometimes slowly shrink a desmoid tumor that cannot be surgically removed, as well as relieve associated pain and swelling.
How often do desmoid tumors come back?
Can a desmoid tumor rupture?
Cases of aggressive fibromatosis with bleeding into the abdominal cavity are sporadic. Usually, this complication results from direct invasion of major vessels and subsequent rupture.
What are the treatment options for a desmoid tumor?
Surgery: Surgery has been a standard treatment for desmoid tumors in the past but this may be changing. Given that the tumor often returns to the same location after surgery, doctors are looking for other treatment options. Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is a treatment option for some desmoid tumors.
What is the prognosis of extra-abdominal desmoid tumors?
Extra-abdominal desmoid tumors are unpredictable. Some tumors grow at a rapid rate. Other tumors remain unchanged after diagnosis. There are even instances of spontaneous regression. This erratic behavior makes treatment challenging. Treatment for a tumor depends upon its location and characteristics, as well as the patient’s preferences.
Can desmoid tumors grow back?
Even after apparently complete surgical removal, desmoid tumors frequently grow back. Desmoid tumors are fibrous—much like scar tissue. Because of this, they are also called aggressive fibromatoses.
Does a desmoid tumor show up on an MRI?
An MRI provides clear images of soft tissues and can be helpful in evaluating desmoid tumors. An MRI will show the overall size and location of the tumor and whether any surrounding vital structures are involved. (Left) This MRI shows an extra-abdominal desmoid tumor in the arm.