Desmoid Tumors

Treatment

Desmoid tumor treatment at Mayo Clinic is planned with two goals in mind: to cure the disease and to save as much function of the affected area as possible. Desmoid tumors can be treated with surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, and medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and drugs under investigation, such as imatinib. Often a combination of these treatments offers the best chance of success.

Surgery

Surgeons will remove the tumor if it is safe to do so. Chemotherapy and radiation may be given before surgery to reduce the tumor or after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. Surgeons will remove the tumor if it is feasible to do so without causing disability or disfigurement.

Chemotherapy

A combination of tumor-fighting drugs attack tumors wherever they may be in the body. The timing of chemotherapy and surgery is coordinated when the person receives both treatments.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation oncologists apply high-energy external beam radiation to tissues containing tumor cells. Radiation may be used as a supplement to surgery, delivered before or after surgery, or in cases when the tumor cannot be safely removed. Depending upon the tumor's size, shape and location, tumors are treated using 3-D conformal radiation therapy or intensity-modulated radiation therapy, both highly precise technologies.

Medications

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and drugs such as imatinib are being used by Mayo Clinic physicians to treat desmoid tumors. Imatinib has been shown to effectively treat desmoid tumors that can't safely be removed.

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy has been shown to be effective at shrinking tumors when used in an early stage of disease and in combination with surgery and radiation. The hormones shrink large tumors so that surgery or radiation can destroy them more easily. After these treatments, the drugs can help kill stray cells left behind at the tumor site.