What are the dangers of hamartoma

In China, the patients with hamartoma are getting younger and younger. The incidence of hamartoma, which was uncommon in the past, is getting higher and higher with the improvement of our living standards and the increase of life pressure, which affects our health. Today, let's take a look at the hazards of hamartoma.

Most scholars have always believed that hamartomas are not true tumors, but incorrect combinations and arrangements of normal tissues within organs. Such disordered changes in the number, structure or maturity of organ tissues will grow slowly with the development of the human body and rarely become malignant. Hamartomas are complex in composition. Most are tumor-like deformities formed by abnormal development of normal tissues, and a few are mesenchymal tumors. Fat and calcification are characteristic manifestations of most hamartomas. Popcorn-like calcification is common in pulmonary hamartomas. Renal hamartomas are combined with tuberous sclerosis. Liver hamartomas are mostly cystic and solid masses. Intrahepatic bile duct hamartomas are multiple irregular cysts. Chest wall hamartomas contain bone-like density and mixed calcification foci. Hypothalamic hamartomas show a silly smile.

Renal hamartoma is a benign tumor of the renal parenchyma, which can occur in both the cortex and medulla. Pathological examination shows that the tumor varies in size and can grow outside the kidney or the collecting system. It has no complete capsule, but has clear boundaries. The cut surface is grayish white, grayish yellow or mixed yellow, and some bleeding foci can be seen. Microscopically, the tumor is composed of mature adipose tissue, blood vessels and smooth muscle in different proportions, and may also be mixed with fibrous tissue. It is generally believed that the main pathological basis of tumor bleeding is that the tumor contains abundant vascular tissue, and the wall thickness of these blood vessels varies and lacks elasticity. The blood vessels are tortuous and can become aneurysmal, and can rupture by slight external force. Some relatively large hamartomas cause digestive discomfort symptoms due to compression of organs such as the duodenum and stomach. When a large hamartoma suddenly ruptures, the patient will experience symptoms such as waist and abdominal pain and hematuria. Patients with severe hemorrhage can touch the mass in the abdomen, and even have shock symptoms. Extrarenal manifestations: butterfly-shaped facial sebaceous adenoma, epilepsy, mental retardation, etc.

In addition, there may be two other influencing factors: First, the maturity of various tissues in hamartoma varies. Some contain actively growing smooth muscle and fibrous tissue, which leads to rapid growth of the tumor and increased blood supply. Some people believe that these cells have the characteristics of myoblasts and fibroblasts, have potentially invasive behavior, and may even become malignant. Second, the rapidly growing tumor compresses the adjacent normal renal tissue while increasing in size and weight, causing atrophy of the normal renal tissue or even focal ischemic necrosis, so that a slight external force can cause the interface between the tumor and the kidney to break and bleed. Renal hamartoma is a benign lesion, but if it is not treated, the increase in size will cause loss of renal function or renal dysfunction. It is recommended to undergo surgical treatment as soon as possible.

Pulmonary hamartomas grow slowly and are mostly located on the periphery of the lungs. They are generally asymptomatic and are often found during chest X-rays during health examinations. Symptoms often include cough, sputum, hemoptysis, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fever. Symptoms of hamartomas in the main bronchi, lobar bronchi, and especially in the carina area appear early, often accompanied by wheezing, and even cause severe dyspnea and cyanosis, which are misdiagnosed as asthma. Tumors located in the lobes or main bronchi cause luminal stenosis and partial obstruction, causing secondary infection. Most patients seek medical treatment for acute or chronic pulmonary suppuration. There are very few reports on complications of pulmonary hamartomas. For patients who need surgery, the principle of carefully choosing the surgical method, preserving normal lung tissue as much as possible, and preventing excessive resection can also well prevent the occurrence of intraoperative and postoperative complications. However, if the tumor is large, it will cause compression symptoms on the heart, large blood vessels, and lung tissue, causing chest deformity, and may also cause complications such as pneumonia, atelectasis, and bronchiectasis, which will aggravate or complicate the condition.

Nevus hamartomatosis is a group of congenital genetic diseases. The prognosis of different nevus hamartomatosis varies. The skin lesions of pigment incontinence may gradually decrease, and the pigment may fade, but the accompanying alopecia and lesions of the teeth, eyes and central nervous system often do not improve with the improvement of the skin; if symptomatic epilepsy occurs, it can be controlled and reduced by giving anti-epileptic drugs. The surgical effect of type II neurofibroma is poor and it is easy to relapse. Facial nerve paralysis and hearing loss may also occur after surgery.

Benign tumors such as hamartomas may still cause serious harm. The most common harm is tumor rupture and massive bleeding. Once this happens, most patients may be forced to have their kidneys removed, and in severe cases, it may even endanger the patient's life.