Extra-abdominal desmoid tumors are a significant cause of morbidity in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome. Understanding of the basic biology and natural history of these tumors has increased substantially over the past decade. Accordingly, medical and surgical management of desmoid tumors has also evolved. This paper analyzes recent evidence pertaining to the epidemiology, molecular biology, histopathology, screening, and treatment of extra-abdominal desmoid tumors associated with familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome. 1. Introduction Desmoid tumors (DTs), also known as aggressive fibromatosis, are fibroblastic neoplasms which are often locally aggressive but lack metastatic potential. They may occur sporadically or in association with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) syndrome. Among individuals with FAP, desmoids most frequently occur in intra-abdominal and abdominal wall locations with most arising from the peritoneum. These abdominal desmoids range in severity from indolent, asymptomatic lesions to highly invasive, sometimes fatal tumors. Although less common than abdominal desmoids and very rarely fatal, extra-abdominal desmoids are also a significant cause of morbidity in this population. This paper will review recent developments in the diagnosis, screening, treatment, and prognosis of FAP-associated extra-abdominal DTs. 2. Epidemiology of FAP-Associated Desmoid Tumors The overall incidence of DTs has frequently been quoted at 2–4 per million people per year [1, 2]. This estimate is derived from a 1986 Finnish study which used the pathologic records of several regional hospitals and their known catchment area populations to calculate an incidence figure [3]. Recently, the Dutch national pathology database was analyzed, and 519 total desmoid cases in patients over the age of ten were identified from 1999 to 2009. There were 480 sporadic DTs and 39 FAP-DTs. The annual incidence was 3.7 per million overall [4] consistent with the earlier Finnish study. The same nationwide study from The Netherlands identified 1400 patients over the age of ten with FAP during the 1999 to 2009 period. FAP-associated DTs (FAP-DTs) made up 7.5% of all DTs, and the relative risk of an FAP patient developing a DT was over 800-fold higher than the general population [4]. The Dutch study was limited by the use of pathologic specimens as many DTs may be identified based upon history, physical exam, and imaging but not biopsied or surgically excised especially in the FAP cohort. Additionally, some individuals with sporadic DTs may have had as yet
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