Teratoma
A tumor, inside which there are various tissues, sometimes atypical for a given organ, is called teratoma, which in Greek means "monstrous tumor." This frightening name of the disease is due to the fact that inside the tumor there can be teeth, hair, eyes, bone, connective, muscle, nervous, epithelial and other tissues, as well as other organs.
This happens for the reason that teratoma develops from germ cells that can degenerate into any tissue of the human body. The most complex structure is in those teratomas that are formed at the very beginning of the development of the embryo. If the tumor originates later, when the rudiment of an organ or tissue has already formed, it is more homogeneous in its composition.
The disease usually manifests itself in childhood or adolescence. Most often, teratoma is formed in the gonads: in the ovaries - in women, in the testes - in men. Children mainly develop coccygeal teratoma in the sacrococcygeal spine. Much less often, the tumor is localized in other organs. In all cases, removal of the teratoma is indicated.
Teratomas can have both benign and malignant course.
Types of teratoma
Chromosomal cell abnormality leads to tumor formation. Depending on what constitutes a deviation from the norm, immature and mature teratomas are distinguished.
The immaturity of teratoma is evidenced by the presence of tissues in the tumor, the type of which is difficult to determine. Most often, the tumor has a malignant course. In a mature teratoma, elements of human tissues are clearly traced: nervous, muscle, connective or fatty.
Mature teratomas differ from immature ones not only in appearance, but also in different growth characteristics. For example, a mature testicular teratoma in men can sometimes acquire a malignant course, while an ovarian teratoma of the same type in a woman is mostly a benign tumor.
In turn, mature teratomas are divided into cystic and solid. Cystic is a large tumor, under the smooth surface of which there are one or more cavities filled with cloudy contents. They may contain fragments of cartilage, teeth, or hair.
A solid mature teratoma is a dense tumor-like formation of various sizes, the surface of which can be either smooth or bumpy. Teratoma is heterogeneous in structure, inside there may be tissue of unknown origin and small cysts with mucus or liquid.
According to their consistency, there are dense teratomas, consisting only of tissues, and cystoteratomas, where there is also liquid.
Symptoms of teratoma
As a rule, obvious symptoms in teratoma appear with a malignant course or significant tumor growth. In other cases, the patient's condition is not particularly affected, the teratoma remains "mute" for a long time. When a tumor-like formation becomes large, symptoms appear characteristic of displacement or compression of organs. So, for example, with a mediastinal teratoma, unpleasant sensations appear behind the sternum, and a tumor in the lungs gives shortness of breath.
With ovarian teratoma, complaints of a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen may periodically appear. If there is a torsion of the cyst leg, then the symptomatology is similar to the clinic of "acute abdomen". A teratoma in the testicle is visible to the eye as an enlargement of the scrotum from the side of the tumor formed. The accession of pain suggests that the process becomes malignant.
In children, the tumor is most often localized in the sacrum, coccyx or perineum. Coccygeal teratoma can be of different sizes and shapes. Large formations interfere with the normal life of the child, since it is difficult for him to urinate and defecate. Congenital teratomas are not uncommon. The intrauterine development of the child is disturbed the more, the earlier the coccygeal teratoma was laid. After birth, soft tissue defects and skeletal damage become noticeable.
Teratoma treatment
Treatment of teratoma of any form - only operative, when the legs of the cystic teratoma of the ovary are twisted, the operation is performed on an emergency basis. The volume of surgery is determined by the size of the tumor, the age of the patient, the localization of the teratoma and concomitant diseases.
In girls and young women, removal of teratoma with lesions of the pelvic organs is carried out against the background of partial resection of the ovaries. Whereas in women during menopause, complete removal of the uterus with both appendages is shown.
Due to the tendency to go into a malignant form and metastasize to the lymph nodes, treatment of testicular teratoma consists not only in removing the tumor, but also in the use of radiation therapy simultaneously with the appointment of anticancer drugs. The same comprehensive approach is practiced for other localizations of teratomas, if they are combined with other tumors or are prone to malignant transformation.
In most cases, the prognosis is favorable, but to a large extent it depends on where the tumor formed, how timely and adequate the treatment was. Teratoma, the course of which is complicated by some types of cancer, is less successful. In such cases, even the removal of teratoma and other formations does not guarantee a complete recovery.
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The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!
