Percutaneous ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation for giant desmoid tumors of the intra-abdominal cavity in a patient with Gardner syndrome.

ABSTRACT

Gardner syndrome (GS) is a rare variant of familial adenomatous polyposis, leading to numerous intra- and extracolonic lesions. Extracolonic lesions of GS are most common with desmoid tumors (DTs) in the abdominal wall, intra-abdominal cavity, and mesentery. Surgery remains the primary treatment for DTs; however, the patients are challenged with the high recurrence rate after surgical resection, and wide resection often results in debilitating loss of function. This study presents a case of a 47-year-old female with GS who had undergone total colectomy and ultra-low anastomosis of the ileal anal canal, and she developed giant DTs in the intra-abdominal cavity. The patient underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for intra-abdominal DTs in September 2014, October 2015, and January 2016. Palliative RFA significantly slowed the progression of the tumor and improved the symptoms of abdominal compression; thus, it is a possible therapeutic option for intra-abdominal unresectable DTs in patients with GS.