Long-term outcomes of 47 patients with aggressive fibromatosis of the chest treated with surgery

Abstract

Aims: The purpose of the study was to review a large series of chest aggressive fibromatosis (AF) cases with an emphasis on the outcomes of different degrees of resection and the value of postoperative radiotherapy.

Materials and methods: The records of patients with chest AF treated at our hospital from 1982 to 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Recurrence rates and non-disease survival (NDS) times were compared between the R0, R1, and R2 resection groups.

Results: Forty-seven cases of chest AF were treated during the study period (21 men, 26 women), with an average age at diagnosis of 40 years (range, 9-77 years). One patient died before surgery, and 46 patients received a total of 85 resections. Forty-one patients had complete follow-up data, and the average follow-up time was 125.6 months (range, 11-524 months). Recurrence rates were 6.7%, 92.9%, and 100% for the R0, R1, and R2 resection groups, respectively, and the R0 recurrence rate was significantly lower than the R1 and R2 rates (both P values < 0.001). The NDS time of the R0, R1, and R2 groups was 80.3 ± 64.8, 23.6 ± 38.7, and 9.8 ± 10.8 months, respectively; the NDS time of the R0 group was significantly longer than that of the R1 and R2 groups (both P values < 0.01). Within each resection type, no significant differences were found in the recurrence rates of patients having surgery alone compared with those receiving surgery and radiotherapy (all P values > 0.05).

Conclusion: R0 resection is the most effective treatment for chest AF. Postoperative radiotherapy did not reduce the recurrence rate.

Keywords: Aggressive fibromatosis; Chest wall defect; Desmoid; Reconstruction.