A CASE OF MESENTERIC DESMOID TUMOR SUCCESSFULLY TREATED BY ENDOCRINE THERAPY

A 16-year-old girl was operated on for unknown perforation of the transverse colon on May 14th, 1995. Her family has a kindred of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), however, she had no polyps of the colon. After the surgical treatment, we adopted unresectable tumors in the mesenterium of the small intestines. A biopsy of the tumors showed fibromatosis (desmoid tumor). In the knowledge that breast cancer as well as desmoid tumor is dependent on hormone, we instituted the same endocrine therapy against the desmoid tumors; goserelin acetate (3.6mg/month), tamoxifen (20mg/day) and fadrozole hydrochloride (2mg/day). We recorded the tumor's fluid degeneration and a decrease in size over an 8 month period. Desmoid tumors are pathologically benign, but locally invasive and said to be recurrent in a high rate after the surgical treatments. We got sufficient response to treat the desmoid tumor by endocrine therapy without severe side effects. Henceforth, endocrine therapy rather than surgery will be one of the strategies against desmoid tumors.