Fibromatoses of Head and Neck: Case Series and Literature Review

Objective: The objective of this study was to retrospectively review clinical data, management protocols, and clinical outcomes of patients with fibromatoses of head and neck region treated at our tertiary care center. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 11 patients with confirmed histopathological diagnosis of fibromatosis registered in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at Tata Memorial Centre, India, between 2009 and 2019. Various clinical and pathological features and treatment modalities were evaluated. Results: Age at diagnosis ranged between 18 and 74 years, with a median age of 36 years. The female-to-male ratio was 5:6. Supraclavicular fossa (n=4) was the most common subsite of origin in the neck (n=8). The lateral (n=2) and posterior cervical regions (n=2) were other common neck subsites. Less commonly involved sites were the mandible (n=1), maxilla (n=1), and thyroid (n=1). A total of eight patients underwent surgery at other centers before being referred to us for further management. Out of a total 11 patients, nine patients had unresectable disease at presentation. Six of the patients with unresectable disease received a combination of weekly doses of vinblastine 6 mg/m2 and methotrexate 30 mg/m2 for a median duration of 6 months (range 6-18 months) followed by hormonal therapy with tamoxifen. Three patients received metronomic chemotherapy followed by hormonal therapy. One treatment-naive patient with fibromatosis of posterior cervical (suboccipital) region underwent R2 resection (excision of bulk of the tumor with preservation of critical structures) at our center along with adjuvant radiotherapy. One pregnant patient reported to us after undergoing surgery outside and defaulting radiotherapy. During median follow-up of 29 months (range 1-77 months), six patients had stable disease, and four patients had disease reduction. Disease progression was seen in one patient. The two-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 90% (95% CI 70%-100%). Conclusion: Gross residual resection (R2) was the mainstay of surgical treatment in our series, as obtaining clear surgical margins is seldom possible in these locally aggressive tumors. Radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy are the other preferred and more conservative treatment modalities. The goal of surgery should be preserving function with minimal or no morbidity. As fibromatoses in the head and neck region are extremely rare, their treatment awaits the development of standard treatment protocols.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine outcomes and prognostic factors for patients with primary and locally recurrent extra-abdominal desmoid tumors who underwent percutaneous cryoablation, and to compare with patients treated with surgery. Methods: Group characteristics were compared using Fisher’s exact test, and propensity score matching was performed using the nearest-neighbor approach. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank analyses were used to evaluate the variation in first local recurrence and disease control, while multivariate Cox regression was used to identify factors associated with first local recurrence. All statistical tests were two-sided and a p-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Twenty-two cryoablation patients were matched with 33 surgical patients (n = 55). Median follow-up after cryoablation was 16.3 months versus 14.9 months after surgery. Two-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) was 59% after cryoablation and 71% after surgery, and median LRFS was 26.6 months after cryoablation but was not reached after surgery. Two-year disease control for all patients was 85%, however median disease control was not reached in either the cryoablation or surgery groups. There was no significant difference in LRFS or disease control between matched cryoablation and surgical patients. No local recurrences occurred after the first cryoablation in patients with zero or one of the following risk factors: tumor size > 5 cm, age ? 25 years, or locally recurrent disease. All patients with two or more of these risk factors recurred locally after the first cryoablation. Conclusion: Percutaneous cryoablation of primary and locally recurrent extra-abdominal desmoid tumors provides freedom from first local recurrence and long-term disease control comparable with surgery.

Desmoid fibromatosis is a locally aggressive tumor with an unpredictable clinical course. Surgery was once the mainstay of treatment, but the treatment protocol has been constantly evolving and currently active surveillance is the front-line approach. There have been significant insights into the molecular biology with the addition of mutational analysis of CTNNB1 adding to prognostic information. We present a review of the literature with current practice guidelines, also including novel therapeutic targets and ongoing clinical trials, to unravel the next step in the management of sporadic desmoid fibromatosis.

Purpose To determine whether MRI volumetric and image texture analysis correlates with treatment-induced biologic changes in desmoid fibromatosis (DF) earlier than conventional response criteria. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 27 patients with histologically proven extra-abdominal DF who were managed with active surveillance or systemic therapy (from 2004 to 2016). MRI volumetric and image texture parameters were derived from manual tumor segmentations, and tumor signal intensity was normalized to muscle. Results were compared with objective response rates based on Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1, World Health Organization (WHO) lesion response, volumetrics, and MRI-modified Choi criteria. Correlation coefficients (r) between image texture features and maximum tumor diameters were obtained by using a meta-analysis approach. Results The 27 included patients (mean age, 39 years; 74% women) were followed for an average of 4 years, comprising 207 distinct time-point assessments. The mean baseline tumor maximum diameter was 7.9 cm (range, 3.4-15.2 cm). Partial response (PR) rates as best response were 37%, 44%, 70%, and 81% by RECIST, WHO, volumetrics, and MRI-modified Choi criteria, respectively. Among the 10 tumors showing RECIST PR, a preceding MRI-modified Choi PR was observed in 70% (seven of 10), on average 1.3 years earlier. Multiple image texture parameters showed associations with objective measurements of tumor diameter including mean tumor-to-muscle signal ratio (r = 0.51; P = .004), median tumor-to-muscle signal ratio (r = 0.52; P = .003), energy (r = 0.48; P < .001), run entropy (r = 0.32, P = .04), and gray-level nonuniformity (r = 0.54; P ? .001). Conclusion Volumetric signal and image texture assessment allows more comprehensive analysis of DF biologic change and may permit early prediction of DF behavior and therapeutic response.

This review aimed to explore recent data about the management of desmoid-type fibromatosis. Active surveillance with planned MRI is the first-line management in desmoid-type fibromatosis. A site-specific and stepwise approach should be considered for progressive desmoid-type fibromatosis. Further, a risk-benefit analysis that considers the side effects and long-term sequelae should be conducted before deciding to start any treatment. A less aggressive approach should be considered.

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