Desmoid Tumor
Your Personalized Treatment Plan
Do not limit your treatment options only to the nearest hospital.
We offer the most effective, quick and affordable treatment for desmoid tumors,
thanks to the world’s largest hospital network.
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Desmoid tumors are rare benign (noncancerous) tumors that develop in connective tissue — the network of tissue that supports and connects your bones, ligaments and muscles and keeps your organs in place.
You can have a desmoid tumor anywhere in your body, but they typically affect your arms, legs or belly (abdomen). Other names for desmoid tumors are deep fibromatosis, aggressive fibromatosis or desmoid fibromatosis.
Unlike cancerous tumors, desmoid tumors don’t spread but ,ay but they often come back if not treated correctly. Most desmoid tumors grow slowly but some are fast-growing and may get big enough to press on tissue, nerves or nearby organs.
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Leading Surgeons
Private treatment in our hospital network allows you skip waiting lists while at the same time reducing the costs treatment considerably, up to 50% cheaper, in countries that are just a short flight from home. The countries listed below make excellent choices with modern hospitals and well-trained English speaking surgeons.
Our medical consultants will advise you on the best choice for treating desmoid tumors in one of our leading hospitals. We will evaluate your current condition, expectations and other related factors, and offer you the most suitable option, respecting your health and the individual needs of your body and lifestyle. Your health is unique and so should be your solution.
Treatment of Desmoid Tumors
Desmoid tumors are often treated the same way as cancerous tumors. Specific treatment depends on several factors, like tumor size, location and the kind of symptoms it causes. Teatments include:
- Surgery. If your desmoid tumor causes signs and symptoms, your doctor may recommend an operation to remove the entire tumor and a small margin of healthy tissue that surrounds it. But sometimes the tumor grows to involve nearby structures and can’t be completely removed. In these cases, surgeons may remove as much of the tumor as possible.
- Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams, such as X-rays and protons, to kill tumor cells. Radiation therapy may be recommended instead of surgery if you’re not healthy enough for surgery or if the tumor is located in a place that makes surgery risky. Radiation therapy is sometimes used after surgery if there’s a risk that the tumor might return.
- Targeted therapy: This treatment works by targeting specific genes or proteins that help desmoid tumors grow. Your provider may recommend treatment using a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI).
- Cryoablation: Your provider may recommend cryoablation if surgery isn’t an option.
- Chemotherapy: Oral or intravenous chemotherapy drugs may be used to shrink or eliminate desmoid tumors.
- Hormone therapy: Tamoxifen may keep desmoid tumors from growing.
Complications of Desmoid Tumor
Complications
Types
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Complications
A desmoid tumor is a benign, locally invasive soft tissue tumor associated with a high recurrence rate but with no metastatic potential. Complications, such as compression or invasion of adjacent structures, and abscess formation can occur.
Types
Desmoid tumors are categorized by location. Types include:
- Abdominal wall desmoid tumors, which affect the wall of tissue that surrounds organs in your belly, like your stomach in your upper abdomen.
- Intra-abdominal desmoid tumors, which grow in mesentery, the tissue that surrounds your intestines.
- Extra-abdominal desmoid tumors, which develop in areas other than your belly and abdominal wall. Extra-abdominal desmoid tumors typically develop in your shoulders, upper arms, chest wall and upper legs, but they can also affect your head and neck.
Causes
A desmoid tumor develops when connective tissue cells mutate (change) and multiply. Experts aren’t sure what triggers the change, but they have found some risk factors. Risk factors for desmoid tumors include:
- Having high estrogen.
- Being female at birth.
- Being pregnant. Pregnancy increases your estrogen levels and stretches your abdominal wall. Most pregnancy-related desmoid tumors develop in your abdominal wall.
- Having familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). About 10% of people with FAP develop desmoid tumors.
- Trauma. Research shows having a serious injury or being repeatedly injured in the same place on your body increases your risk of developing a desmoid tumor.
Symptoms
Desmoid tumors don’t always cause symptoms. When they do, symptoms may include:
- Pain, soreness or a tingling sensation from a tumor pressing on nearby nerves, organs or blood vessels.
- A lump or swollen area, usually in your arms, legs and belly.
- Trouble moving your arm or leg.
- Nausea and vomiting from a tumor in your belly.
Not every lump or bump is a desmoid tumor, but you should have a medical assessment if you have a lump or bump that’s larger than 2 inches, keeps getting bigger or hurts.
Diagnosis
Tests and procedures used to diagnose desmoid tumors include:
- Physical exam. A doctor will examine your body to better understand your signs and symptoms.
- Imaging tests. A doctor may recommend imaging tests, such as CT and MRI, to create pictures of the area where your symptoms are occurring.
Removing a sample of tissue for testing (biopsy). To make a definitive diagnosis, your doctor collects a sample of the tumor tissue and sends it to a lab for testing. For desmoid tumors, the sample can be collected with a needle or with surgery, depending on your particular situation. In the lab, doctors trained in analyzing body tissues (pathologists) examine the sample to determine the types of cells involved and whether the cells are likely to be aggressive.
