The FDA approved the first medical therapy for desmoid tumors only a few months ago! What’s the big deal, right? Desmoid tumors are non-cancerous and can’t even metastasize. Well, in this blog post, I want to discuss these interesting tumors, and you will find that not only are these tumors anything but benign, but Golden Helix CancerKB has you covered with this exciting discovery.

Desmoid tumors, also known as aggressive fibromatosis, are rare, locally invasive tumors that form in the connective tissue of the body. Even though these tumor cells do not travel to other parts of the body, they can invade nearby tissues and structures, causing them to be very painful. So, are these tumors considered “cancer”? According to the World Health Organization, they are classified as intermediate, locally aggressive tumors but are neither benign nor malignant.

In some cases, people can live with desmoid tumors their whole lives as long as they are slow growing, stay the same size, or even shrink on their own! The real concern with desmoid tumors arises when they are fast-growing, as these tumors are difficult to remove with surgery completely, and they are likely to return. In either case, treatment can be challenging. Either you wait and see what happens naturally, surgically remove the tumor, radiation therapy, general chemotherapy….or (now) nirogacestat.

After 15 years in the making, the recently approved nirogacestat brings hope to patients suffering from desmoid tumors and marks a historical milestone as the first-ever treatment for desmoid tumors.

In VSClinical AMP, look for the drug sensitivity interpretation in Golden Helix CancerKB!!