What type of cancer is a desmoid tumor?
Desmoid tumors are benign, which means they are not cancer. While the cells of the desmoid tumor do not travel to parts the body like cancer can, they can invade nearby tissue and are often very painful. Desmoid tumors can grow slowly or very quickly. The quicker they grow the more serious they are.
What causes a desmoid tumor?
Causes. Mutations in the CTNNB1 gene or the APC gene cause desmoid tumors. CTNNB1 gene mutations account for around 85 percent of sporadic desmoid tumors. APC gene mutations cause desmoid tumors associated with familial adenomatous polyposis as well as 10 to 15 percent of sporadic desmoid tumors.
What are the prognosis of patients with desmoid tumors?
Desmoid tumors are rare. They’re also rarely fatal. According to a retrospective review published in the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 96 percent of people with desmoid tumors are alive 5 years after diagnosis, 92 percent after 10 years, and 87 percent after 15 years.
What does desmoid tumor mean?
(DEZ-moyd TOO-mer) A type of soft tissue tumor that forms in fibrous (connective) tissue, usually in the arms, legs, or abdomen. It may also occur in the head and neck. Desmoid tumors are usually benign (not cancer).
Can desmoid tumors be fatal?
Can desmoid tumors be fatal? Desmoid tumors are considered benign (noncancerous) because they don’t spread to other areas of your body. However, sometimes desmoid tumors grow aggressively, affecting nearby structures. In very rare instances, they can be fatal.
What is the best treatment for desmoid tumor?
Chemotherapy uses strong drugs to kill tumor cells. Your doctor may recommend chemotherapy if your desmoid tumor is growing quickly and surgery isn’t an option. Several other drug treatments have shown promise in people with desmoid tumors, including anti-inflammatory drugs, hormone therapies and targeted therapies.
Do desmoid tumors go away?
Desmoid tumors most often occur in the abdomen, arms and legs. Another term for desmoid tumors is aggressive fibromatosis. Some desmoid tumors are slow growing and don’t require immediate treatment. Others grow quickly and are treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or other drugs.
Is a desmoid tumor life threatening?
Desmoid tumors, also known as “aggressive fibromatosis,” develop from fibroblasts which are found throughout the body. Desmoid tumors may become life threatening when they constrict vital organs such as kidneys, lungs or intestines.
Can you live with a desmoid tumor?
However, they can be painful and grow into nearby tissue, organs, and structures, reducing a person’s quality of life. Because desmoid tumors are so rare, it is hard to determine accurate survival rates, but 1 report found that more than 98% of patients were alive 5 years after their diagnosis.
Are desmoid tumors fatal?
What chemo is used for desmoid tumors?
Some types of chemotherapy that might be used alone or in combination for desmoid tumor include: Methotrexate (Trexall) Vinblastine (Velban) Liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil)