The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
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Desmoid tumors are benign fibrous neoplasms which arise from the fibrous tissue of intra- and extra- abdominal sites, but their clinical management is sometimes difficult because of extensive infiltration into the surrounding tissues. Desmoid tumors commonly occur in women, especially after childbirth. Recently, both clinical and experimental findings indicate the possible roles of sex steroids in the development and progression of desmoid tumors but detailed information is still ambiguous. ⋯ In reactive lesions with fibrosis, only AR was detected in 37.5% (3/8). Sex steroid receptor mRNAs was further examined by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis using fresh frozen tissues, demonstrating the expression of PR (PR-A and/or PR-B) and AR mRNAs in eight desmoid tumors examined and all cases of reactive fibrosis. These results indicate that sex steroid hormones might play an important role in the pathogenesis of desmoid tumors and could lead to the introduction of novel hormone therapeutic approaches in managing patients with recurrent desmoid tumors.