Benign, slow-growing tumors without any metastatic potential. Despite their benign nature, they can damage nearby structures causing organ dysfunction. Histologically they resemble low-grade fibrosarcomas, but they are very locally aggressive and tend to recur even after complete resection. There is a tendency for recurrence in the setting of prior surgery and the most common localisation of these tumors is intraabdominal from smooth muscle cells of the instestine.
Comment:
Most cases are sporadic, but some are associated with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Approximately 10% of individuals with Gardner's syndrome, a type of FAP with extracolonic features, have desmoid tumors. Risk factors for desmoid disease amongst FAP patients include female gender, a 3' APC mutation, a positive family history and a history of previous abdominal surgery.