Life-threatening desmoid tumor.

An 18-year-old girl presented with severe chest pain and shortness of breath. She was found to have a large desmoid tumor filling the right chest cavity. The etiology of the desmoid tumor is unknown but is thought to be associated with an underlying genetic defect and local trauma. These tumors may be estrogen sensitive and are more frequent in females of reproductive age. The case demonstrates the difficulty in treating these tumors effectively.