The challenging case of a primigravid Bedouin woman with a dormant neck nodule that grew explosively during her pregnancy

Abstract

A Desmoid tumor in the neck is a rare tumor in an even more unusual site. Our patient was an 18-year-old primigravid Bedouin woman from northwest Egypt. She presented with a dormant neck nodule that grew explosively during her first pregnancy and stopped abruptly after delivery. The presentation was confusing at first, as the fixation of the tumor to the underlying tissues implied a malignancy, while a 1-year history of non-metastasis alluded to a benign process. Pre-operative tissue diagnosis revealed an Estrogen receptor-expressing desmoid tumor. Desmoid tumors are indeed locally invasive with no metastatic potential, but they tend to recur and grow during high-estrogen states. This report aims to increase awareness of peripartum Desmoid tumors, as well as discuss the surgical-site, psychological and socioeconomic challenges in the peculiar case of this Bedouin woman, and our recommendations after this experience and literature review.