Spontaneous Regression Of A Desmoid Tumour
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (Great Britain) 68-B(5): Nov 1986; 780-781
View Original Source →Abstract
A 15-year-old girl presented with a very large Desmoid tumour in her buttock; it extended into the pelvis and thigh and would have required hindquarter amputation for its removal. This was not performed and the tumour underwent spontaneous regression. Fourteen years later the patient is alive and well. The suggestion is made that in some of these cases a more expectant approach to treatment might be justified for what is essentially a non-malignant condition.
Case Details
Personal Characteristics
15-year-old girl
Clinical Characteristics
Large mass filling the left buttock, extending to the adductor compartment of the thigh and to the mid-thigh level, mass in the left iliac fossa, limited movements of the hip joint, no lesions elsewhere in the body, clear chest radiograph, normal barium enema, intravenous pyelography and sigmoidoscopy, biopsy revealed benign musculo-aponeurotic fibroma (desmoid tumour), sciatic nerve surrounded by tumour, huge swelling of the buttock, hip fixed in a position of flexion and medial rotation, satellite lesions behind the left knee, severe flexion contracture of the knee, painful lump in the left calf
Remission Characteristics
Tumour began to regress spontaneously five years after initial presentation, tumour no longer palpable in the lower limb 10 years after its appearance, pelvic mass diminished in size, lump in the left calf disappeared six years after it was first noticed
Treatment & Mechanisms
Proposed Remission Mechanisms
Not discussed
Clinical Treatment
Biopsy, elongation of the hamstring tendons, elongation of the tendo calcaneus
Non-Clinical Treatment
Observation, symptom treatment
Additional Notes
hindquarter amputation was considered but not performed due to patient's age and non-malignant condition of the tumour, patient remained active and uncomplaining, patient took matriculation examinations, patient had a vaginal delivery of her first child despite the residual pelvic mass