Staging intra-abdominal desmoid tumors in familial adenomatous polyposis: a search for a uniform approach to a troubling disease.
BACKGROUND
Desmoid tumors are a clinical problem in 12 to 15 percent of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. There is no predictably effective treatment for intra-abdominal desmoid tumors, which sometimes cause significant complications by their effects on the ureters or bowel. The relative rarity and the clinical heterogeneity of intra-abdominal desmoid tumors make randomized studies difficult to do. In this article a staging system is proposed to make multi-institutional studies easier.


METHODS
Intra-abdominal desmoid tumors can be staged according to their size, clinical presentation and growth pattern.


CONCLUSIONS
A way of staging intra-abdominal desmoid tumors is proposed to facilitate stratification by disease severity during collaborative studies of various treatments.
Church
James
J
Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
Berk
Terri
T
Boman
Bruce M
BM
Guillem
Jose
J
Lynch
Craig
C
Lynch
Patrick
P
Rodriguez-Bigas
Miguel
M
Rusin
Larry
L
Weber
Tom
T
D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D034861:Abdominal Wall / Q000473:pathology; D011125:Adenomatous Polyposis Coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D018222:Desmoid Tumors / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017491:Genes, APC; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008643:Mesentery / Q000473:pathology; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000473:pathology*; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone