Intra-abdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor in a 68-year-old female

Background: Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) of the peritoneum typically occurs in young adults. The mean age of females with DSRCT is 20 years. We describe a DSRCT with an unusual age of presentation mimicking a metastatic ovarian neoplasm.

Case: A 68-year-old para 4 female presented with abdominal enlargement. Laparatomy showed multiple tumor nodules attached to the peritoneal surface. The tumor was debulked. The histological findings were characteristic for DSRCT. Adjuvantly the patient received cytotoxic chemotherapy but died of recurrent disease 3 months after initial diagnosis.

Conclusion: DSRCT should be added to the differential diagnosis of unusual gynecologic malignancies in elderly as well as younger females. Identification of DSRCT is important because it can be confused with primary ovarian neoplasms.

Peritoneal neoplasm; Desmoplastic small round cell tumor; Ovarian tumor

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