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Fibromatosis (Desmoid Tumors)

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John Han-Chih Chang, MD and Kenneth Blank, MD
Last Modified: November 1, 2001

Dear OncoLink "Ask the Experts,"
I am looking for an article I believe was published in International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics titled "Radiation therapy in the treatment of aggressive fibromatoses," written by Greenberg, Goebel, Weichselbaum, Greenberger, Chaffey, Cassady. I am sorry but I don't have the date. Is there a way I can assess this article on line or through your web page. It is used as a reference in an article I found on your site.

Could you please tell me how to access this article or others on the same topic. This case has been presented to a medical conference recently and received mixed recommendations as to the next step for therapy. There is also some work being done in combining chemotherapy and radiation when treating aggressive fibromatosis, but I can only find cases involving children.  
Thanks for your assistance.
MT

Ken Blank, MD, and John Han-Chih Chang, MD, Editorial Assistants for Oncolink, respond:

Aggressive fibromatosis (also called a desmoid tumors) are almost always benign tumors (ie, they rarely spread to other parts of the body). However, these tumors have a tendency to recur in the same spot even after surgical excision. For this reason most physicians recommend radiation therapy following surgery. We encourage you to subscribe to the desmoid tumor listserv (e-mail discussion group) to find the most up-to date information on treatment.

In addition, There are several databases available online that will provide information regarding the article you ask about, as well as other articles on fibromatosis. One such area is The National Library of Medicine's search service Pub Med.