What to do if you have an abdominal tumor? Experts recommend this!

In addition to tumors in organs, tumors can also develop in the abdomen. This is because the abdomen contains many fibers, nerves, and ligaments. Inflammation in these areas can cause cancer cells to spread and eventually form tumors. Tumors in the abdomen will not only cause an enlarged abdomen and abdominal distension and pain, but also symptoms of ascites. Therefore, abdominal tumors need to be surgically removed.

Abdominal wall tumors

Benign tumors of the abdominal wall include desmoid tumors, fibromas, neurofibromas, hemangiomas, papillomas, dermoid cysts, etc. Malignant tumors include fibrosarcoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, melanoma, skin cancer and metastatic cancer. The main ones are described below.

Clinically, it manifests as a painless oval mass in the abdominal wall that is hard and grows slowly. In most patients, the tumor is discovered when it is several centimeters in diameter. When the abdominal muscles contract, the outline of the tumor can still be clearly felt, which can be distinguished from intra-abdominal tumors. In a few patients who delay seeking medical treatment, the tumor grows in a sheet-like infiltrative manner, with large areas of abdominal wall stiffness and a diameter of up to 10 centimeters.

The tumors often originate from the muscle sheath or aponeurosis of the rectus abdominis, external oblique muscle, internal oblique muscle, or transverse abdominal muscle, and grow infiltratively into the muscle. The tumor has no capsule, irregular edges, and is crab-foot-shaped; the texture is tough like rubber; the cross-section is grayish white and has an interlaced woven appearance.

Under the microscope, the tumor is composed of abundant collagen fibers and fewer fiber cells arranged in parallel; the cells have no atypia and nuclear division phase; at the edge of the tumor, small islands of striated muscle tissue surrounded by the tumor can often be seen.

The tumor tissue morphology is benign, but it is very easy to recur. This disease is more common in young and middle-aged people. The tumor usually arises in the dermis and appears as a raised area. Microscopically, the tumor is composed of spindle cells, which vary in length and thickness, and are mostly arranged in a storiform or whorl pattern. Some cells may have more significant atypia, and nuclear division phases are rare. It is a low-grade malignant tumor.

Treatment should be surgical resection. The scope includes the tumor and the normal muscles, fascia and aponeurosis nearby. If the peritoneum is involved, it should also be partially removed. Incomplete resection can easily lead to recurrence. If the abdominal wall defect is large after tumor resection, it can be repaired by turning over the adjacent anterior rectus abdominis sheath and thigh fascia lata, or by using silk or polyester patch to prevent the formation of incisional hernia. When the tumor is too extensive to be removed, radiation therapy may be tried.