JCO Letter: Is It Possible to Identify Clinically Useful Prognostic Groups for Patients With Desmoid Tumors

Is It Possible to Identify Clinically Useful Prognostic Groups for Patients
With Desmoid Tumors

 TO THE EDITOR: 

In their recent article, Salas et al1 report the results of a retrospective study of 426 patients with extra-abdominal desmoid tumors from 24 participating centers.Toour knowledge, this is the largest such cohort ever reported. Three hundred seventy patients (86.9%) had surgical treatment initially; a wait-and-see policy was adopted for only 27 patients (6.3%). Patients who had non–lifethreatening tumors or who were at risk for mutilation were selected for the wait-and-see approach. Detailed characteristics of the patients in the wait-and-see group were not provided. Factors that had a significant impact on progression-free survival were age, tumor size, and tumor site in multivariate analysis. It can be understood that there are different prognostic subgroups of patients with desmoid tumors who could benefit from different therapeutic strategies...."

Salas S, Dufresne A, Bui B, et al: Prognostic factors influencing progressionfree survival determined from a series of sporadic desmoid tumors: A wait-andsee policy according to tumor presentation. J Clin Oncol 29:3553-3558, 2011