Desmoid tumour. The risk of recurrent or new disease with subsequent pregnancy: a case report.

Desmoid tumours are rare, benign tumours arising from fibrous tissue in muscle fascia or aponeurosis. They are most common in women of child-bearing age and most often appear during or after pregnancy in this age group. The recommended treatment is wide surgical excision, if possible, but unresectable tumours may be treated with radiotherapy, anticancer drugs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents or antiestrogenic compounds. The recurrence rate is high and seems to be related to the achievement of resection margins free of tumour. The literature is not specific about how to counsel women who have had a desmoid tumour and subsequently wish to have a child. Patients should be advised that these tumours may be estrogen sensitive but subsequent pregnancy is not necessarily a risk factor for recurrence or development of new disease.