Surgical extirpation of a chest wall desmoid tumor: a case report

A case is described of an anterior chest wall desmoid tumor in a 20-year-old Micronesian male that had been previously incompletely resected one year prior to presentation. A radical chest wall resection was performed with reconstruction accomplished using a gortex patch and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. The patient developed a massive local recurrence within eight months following surgery. This report illustrates the local aggressiveness of these benign tumors. A historical perspective, etiology, and treatment principles are discussed.