Desmoid tumour: a rare etiology of intestinal obstruction

Rapidly Growing Desmoid-Type Fibromatosis of the Mesentery of the Small Intestine after Distal Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer

We report the case of a 55-year-old man with a surgical history of distal gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction performed 3 years prior to the present episode. During the follow-up, a newly developed, rapidly growing intraabdominal mass was detected in the mesentery of the small intestine. Although the patient had been asymptomatic, surgical resection was planned with the suspicion of malignancy, especially lymph node recurrence of the gastric cancer, owing to its rapid growth. Laparotomy showed that the tumor was located in the mesentery of the small intestine near the Roux-en-Y limb, and due to the involvement of the feeding vessels to the Roux-en-Y limb, the anastomotic site was resected en bloc with the tumor, and the whole Roux-en-Y limb was reconstructed. The histopathological finding was compatible with desmoid-type fibromatosis of the mesentery of the small intestine. Here we report our case and discuss the previously reported literature, especially related to gastric cancer.

Intestinal obstruction caused by desmoid tumours: a review of the literature

Intraabdominal desmoid tumours are rare and can cause intestinal obstruction. Based on the review of the literature, surgical resection with negative margins and adjuvant chemotherapy is the optimal strategy for treatment of this pathology.