Resection of a large intra-abdominal desmoid tumor requiring abdominal wall reconstruction: A case report and review of literature

Abdominal desmoid tumors (ADTs) are rare, fast-growing, nonmalignant tumors of the soft tissue. ADTs have no known metastatic potential; however, they are locally aggressive and may result in local tissue destruction. The diagnosis of an ADT should be considered in a female patient with a prior history of pregnancy and previous abdominal surgery who presents with a painless intra-abdominal mass. We present the case of a 23 cm intra-ADT excision in a 40-year-old African American female requiring abdominal wall reconstruction with component separation. We also discuss a comprehensive review of the literature including current treatment methods and prognostic outcomes in patients following the resection of ADTs. An individualized multi-modality treatment approach employing both surgical and medical therapy to achieve histologically negative margins appears to be the most effective treatment strategy to reduce the recurrence rate of ADTs. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Patient care and medical knowledge.