Abdominal sarcomas

Abdominal sarcoma is a rare malignant neoplasm affecting the abdominal walls. Most often, sarcoma is presented in the form of malignant pigment spots. Such skin changes indicate melanosarcoma. Neoplasms that quickly increase in size and are intensely pigmented are prone to such transformations.

The primary cause of abdominal sarcoma is cicatricial tissue changes that occur as a result of injuries and burns. With abdominal wall sarcoma, all tendon elements that originate from it are subject to damage. As it progresses and grows, the tumor loses its clear contours. Sarcoma grows very quickly, metastasizes early and penetrates into adjacent tissues, and is highly malignant.

If the patient has a sarcoma of the anterior abdominal wall, the peculiarity of the disease is that the tumor is located under the skin and is easy to visually track during a doctor's examination. This type of sarcoma is easily palpated, especially when the abdominal muscles are tense. The tumor is mobile. As for the symptoms of the disease, they are scanty. Patients complain of increased weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, and fever. With constant trauma to the peritoneum, tumor tissues can be damaged and infected, which leads to ulceration and necrosis of the entire sarcoma.

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Liver sarcoma

Liver sarcoma is a malignant non-epithelial tumor that develops from connective tissue elements of the liver and blood vessels. Sarcoma has the appearance of a node with a denser consistency than the tissues surrounding the liver. The node is white-yellow or grayish-red in color and is dotted with vessels. Malignant neoplasms can reach large sizes, in rare cases, even the size of a human head. With large tumors, liver tissue is subject to compression and atrophy. In some cases, liver sarcoma has several nodes that cause a significant increase in the liver.

Sarcoma can be secondary, that is, it can appear as a result of metastasis of another tumor focus. In this case, the tumor can have either a single node or several neoplasms at once. The main cause of secondary liver sarcoma is skin melanoma. The symptoms are similar to those of liver cancer. The main signs of the disease are sudden weight loss, pain in the right hypochondrium, fever, and yellowing of the skin.

Very often liver sarcoma is complicated by internal hemorrhages, intraperitoneal hemorrhages and tumor disintegration. Sarcoma is diagnosed using ultrasound, laparoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment is surgical. If the patient has a single node, it is cut out; if there are multiple nodes, a course of chemotherapy and radiation is administered.

Gastric sarcoma

Gastric sarcoma is a secondary tumor disease that appears due to metastasis from other affected organs. As a rule, women of childbearing age are affected. Sarcoma is localized on the body of the stomach, while neoplasms appear less frequently in the inlet and outlet sections. According to the nature of growth, gastric sarcomas are divided into: endogastric, exogastric, intramural and mixed. In addition, all histological types of sarcomas are found in the stomach: neurosarcomas, lymphosarcomas, spindle cell sarcomas, fibrosarcomas and myosarcomas.

The symptoms of the disease are varied. A number of tumors are asymptomatic and are detected at the last stage of development. Most often, patients complain of nausea, rumbling in the stomach, bloating, heaviness and difficulty of the evacuation function. In addition to the above symptoms, patients experience exhaustion of the body, increased irritability and depression, fatigue, weakness.

Diagnosis of gastric sarcoma is a set of measures, a combination of X-ray methods and endoscopy. Treatment of malignant lesions is usually surgical. The patient undergoes complete or partial removal of the organ. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are also used to prevent metastasis and destroy cancer cells. The prognosis for gastric sarcoma depends on the size of the tumor, the presence of metastases and the overall picture of the disease.

Renal sarcoma

Renal sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor. As a rule, the source of sarcoma is the connective tissue elements of the kidney, the walls of the renal vessels or the renal capsule. The peculiarity of renal sarcoma is that it affects both organs, left and right. The tumor can be a dense fibrosarcoma or with a soft consistency, i.e. liposarcoma. According to histological analysis, renal sarcomas consist of: spindle-shaped, polymorphic and round cells.

The clinical picture of renal sarcoma is pain in the kidney area, palpation of a small lump, and the appearance of blood in the urine (hematuria). Blood in the urine occurs in 90% of patients with renal sarcoma. In this case, pain may be completely absent, but bleeding may be so profuse that blood clots get stuck in the ureter. In some cases, blood clots form an internal cast of the ureter and acquire a worm-like shape. Bleeding occurs due to damage to the integrity of the vessels, tumor growth into the pelvis, or compression of the renal veins.

Sarcoma develops and progresses rapidly, reaching significant sizes. It is easily palpated and mobile. Painful sensations spread not only to the tumor location, but also to neighboring organs, causing dull pain. Tumor treatment can be both surgical and by chemotherapy and radiation.

Intestinal sarcoma

Intestinal sarcoma can affect both the small and large intestines. The treatment of the disease depends on the type of lesion. But do not forget that the large and small intestines consist of a number of other intestines, which can also be a source of sarcoma.

Sarcoma of the small intestine

As a rule, the disease occurs in men aged 20 to 40 years. The neoplasm can reach large sizes, have a high density and a bumpy surface. Most often, sarcoma is localized in the initial section of the jejunum or in the final part of the ileum. A tumor on the duodenum is rare. According to the nature of sarcoma growth, oncologists distinguish sarcomas growing into the abdominal cavity, that is, exointestinal and endointestinal - growing into the walls of the small intestine.

Such sarcomas metastasize late and, as a rule, to the retroperitoneal and mesenteric lymph nodes, affecting the lungs, liver and other organs. The symptoms of the disease are weak. As a rule, the patient complains of abdominal pain, weight loss, gastrointestinal disorders, nausea, belching. With sarcomas in the last stages of development, the patient suffers from frequent bloating, vomiting and nausea.

In the later stages of development, a mobile tumor can be palpated, which is accompanied by ascites. The patient begins to complain of swelling, intestinal obstruction. In some cases, doctors diagnose the onset of peritonitis and internal bleeding. The main type of treatment is surgery, which involves removing the affected part of the intestine, lymph nodes and mesentery. The prognosis depends on the stage of intestinal sarcoma.

Sarcoma of the large intestine

A feature of colon sarcoma is the rapid growth of the tumor and the course of the disease. As a rule, from the first stage to the fourth, less than a year passes. Colon sarcomas often metastasize, both hematogenously and lymphogenously, affecting many organs and systems. Tumors are rare in the colon, most often sarcoma affects the cecum, sigmoid colon and rectum. The main histological types of malignant tumors of the colon: leiomyosarcoma, lymphosarcoma, spindle cell tumor.

In the early stages, the disease is asymptomatic, causing frequent diarrhea, loss of appetite and constipation. In some cases, the tumor provokes chronic appendicitis. Painful sensations are not pronounced and are vague. If the sarcoma metastasizes, pain appears in the lumbar and sacral regions. Due to such scanty initial symptoms, sarcoma is diagnosed at later stages in a complicated form.

To diagnose colon sarcoma, magnetic resonance imaging, X-rays and computed tomography are used. Treatment involves resection of the affected section of the intestine, courses of radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Rectal sarcoma

Rectal sarcoma is also a bowel lesion. However, this type of tumor is extremely rare. Depending on the tissue from which the tumor develops, the tumor may be liposarcoma, fibrosarcoma, myxosarcoma, angiosarcoma, or consist of several non-epithelial tissues.

According to the results of histological examination, sarcomas can be: round cell, reticuloendothelial, lymphoreticular or spindle cell. Symptoms depend on the size, shape and location of the tumor. In the early stages, the neoplasm looks like a small tubercle that quickly increases in size and is prone to ulceration. As a rule, patients complain of pathological discharge from the rectum in the form of bloody mucus or simply blood in large quantities. There is a feeling of insufficiently emptied intestines, exhaustion of the body and frequent urge to defecate.

Treatment of rectal sarcoma involves radical removal of the tumor and part of the intestine with adjacent tissues. As for chemotherapy and radiation therapy, these methods are used only if the tumor tissues are sensitive to this type of treatment. In the last stages of development, intestinal sarcoma has an unfavorable prognosis.

Retroperitoneal sarcoma

Retroperitoneal sarcoma is characterized by deep localization in the abdominal cavity, close contact with the posterior wall of the peritoneum. Due to the tumor, the patient feels restrictions during breathing. Sarcoma progresses quickly and reaches significant sizes. The neoplasm puts pressure on surrounding tissues and organs, disrupting their function and blood supply.

Since retroperitoneal sarcoma is located near nerve roots and trunks, the tumor presses on them, which contributes to the destruction of the spine and negatively affects the spinal cord. Because of this, the patient feels pain, and sometimes paralysis. If retroperitoneal sarcoma develops near blood vessels, it compresses them. Due to such pathology, the blood supply to the organs is disrupted. If pressure is exerted on the inferior vena cava, the patient experiences swelling of the lower extremities and abdominal walls, and sometimes blue skin. Sarcoma treatment is surgical, in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Sarcoma of the spleen

Spleen sarcoma is a malignant, rare tumor. As a rule, spleen damage is secondary, that is, the tumor develops due to metastasis from other sources of damage. The main histological types of spleen sarcoma are leiomyosarcomas, osteosarcomas, myxosarcoma, and undifferentiated sarcomas.

• In the early stages, the symptoms of the disease are scanty. Later, the progression of the tumor leads to an enlarged spleen, metastasis and intoxication of the body. During this period, the patient feels progressive weakness, anemia and elevated body temperature. The disease is accompanied by non-specific clinical symptoms: apathy, pain during palpation of the abdominal cavity, increased urine and frequent urge to urinate, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite.
• In the later stages, spleen sarcoma causes exhaustion of the body, ascites, effusion of fluids with blood into the pleural cavity and pleurisy, that is, inflammation. In some cases, sarcoma manifests itself only after reaching large sizes. Due to such late diagnosis, there is a high risk of developing acute conditions that can lead to rupture of the organ.

Spleen sarcoma is diagnosed using ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and fluoroscopy. The diagnosis is confirmed by biopsy and examination of the tissue sample. Treatment involves surgical intervention and complete removal of the affected organ. The earlier the disease is diagnosed and treatment is prescribed, the more favorable the prognosis and the higher the survival rate of patients.