A Desmoid Tumor Responding to Systemic Therapy With Tamoxifen and Sulindac

Summary

Desmoid tumors are locally aggressive benign tumors arising from connective tissue and are classified as soft tissue sarcomas that do not metastasize. The name is derived from the Greek word desmos that means tendon-like. These tumors are also known as aggressive fibromatosis and have an unpredictable natural history that varies depending on risk factors. They are treated as sarcomas because of their locally aggressive nature and a high local recurrence rate. The causes behind desmoid tumor development are enigmatic and their clinical course is unpredictable. Disease progression also varies widely depending on multiple syndromic risk factors. At this time, there is no scientific consensus over best treatment practices for this tumor type. Treatment can potentially be a combination of observation, systemic therapy, surgery or radiation therapy. Here, we have described a case of a female patient with a sporadic desmoid tumor that successfully responded to tamoxifen and sulindac.