A Case of Desmoid Tumor of the Abdominal Wall Associated with Crohn's Disease

Masayuki Shibasaki, Yasutsugu Bandai, Kouji Kusaka and Shigehiro Kitamura*

Departments of Surgery and Pathology*, Social Insurance Chuo General Hospital

We report a case of desmoid tumor of the abdominal wall associated with Crohn's disease. A 29-year-old man diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 1999 and treated with diet therapy and medication underwent ileocecal resection for stricture of Crohn's disease in 2000. He was seen for a mass in the right lower abdomen in May 2002. Abdominal CT and MRI showed a large tumor substituting for a right rectus abdominis muscle. Percutaneous core needle biopsy showed a desmoid tumor, for which he underwent wide local resection. The defect in the abdominal wall was repaired with mesh sheet of 3 layers. Although Crohn's disease is associated with a variety of neoplasms, coexist once with a desmoid tumor is rare, with this being only the sixth reported world wide, to our knowledge. These 2 diseases have no common pathogenesis, although, depending on the location of the desmoid tumor, clinical problems may include massive bowel resection, polysurgery, and avoidance of adhesion in abdominal wall repair. The possibility of a desmoid tumor should thus be considered in the follow-up of patients with Crohn's disease.

Key words
desmoid tumor, Crohn's disease, pathogenesis

Reprint requests
Masayuki Shibasaki Department of Surgery, Social Insurance Chuo General Hospital
3-22-1 Hyakuninchou, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-0073 JAPAN

Accepted
September 22, 2004

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