The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation

May 2026

Incidental Detection of an Extra-abdominal Desmoid Tumor of the Axilla: A Case Report

Author Information

Chalent Alexakis 1, Annezo Marinatou 2, Evgenia Kalogridaki 2, Nektarios Ntalakos 3, Panagiotis Daskalakis 2

1Rural Medicine, General Hospital of Thebes, Thebes, GRC. 2Surgery Department, Breast Unit, General Maternal Hospital of Athens 'Elena Venizelou', Athens, GRC. 3Pathology, Saint Savvas Anticancer Hospital of Athens, Athens, GRC.

Publication

Cureus

Summary

Desmoid fibromatosis is a rare, benign but aggressive tumor of mesenchymal origin. Its main characteristic is local infiltration and a high likelihood of recurrence. Desmoid tumors can occur either sporadically or in a familial form (familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)). Depending on their location, they are classified as superficial or deep, such as masses in the abdominal wall, extra-abdominal, or intra-abdominal tumors. Rarely, they can be found in the axillary area. We describe a case of a 69-year-old female presenting with a mass in her left axilla that was biopsy-proven to be a desmoid tumor.

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