DESMOPLASTIC FIBROMA OF BONE - A REPORT OF 18 CASES

Desmoplastic fibroma is a rare benign primary bone tumor, histological ly identical to the extra-abdominal desmoid tumor of soft tissues. The incidence in major series of bone tumors is 0.1%-0.3%. In the present study 18 cases from the files of the Netherlands Committee on Bone Tu mors are reported, with an emphasis on the radiographic features. Eigh t female and ten male subjects were affected, with a fairly even age d istribution from the second to the seventh decade of life. The most fr equent sites of involvement were the femur and the pelvis. Radiographi cally the lesions nearly always demonstrated benign features with resp ect to pattern of destruction, margins, and reactive bone formation; h owever, soft tissue extension was sometimes present. Although desmopla stic fibroma usually presents with pain or swelling, in 5 of the 18 ca ses the existence of the lesion was an accidental finding, and in 2 ca ses the patient had long-standing, vague complaints of pain. Though ov erall benign radiographic features may support the final diagnosis, th e main and often troublesome histological differential diagnosis is of a low-grade fibrosoma. En bloc resection is the treatment of choice i n view of the high incidence of recurrence after curettage.