Leiomyoma of the stomach is a benign neoplasm. The disease occurs as a result of the proliferation of smooth muscles. This type of tumor is located not only in the stomach, but also in the uterus or intestines. Most often it is small in size and for this reason it may not manifest itself for a long time. The first serious symptoms begin to worry when the tumor is large. Lack of proper treatment leads to the transformation of leiomyoma into a malignant state.

Epidemiology

The diagnosis of gastric leiomyoma, according to recent statistics, is rare in oncology. Among fibroid lesions, about 2% are leiomyosarcoma. It usually affects people over 50 years of age. It can be localized in the form of single nodes in any part of the stomach, but more often it concerns the antrum. As the leiomyoma grows, it spreads into the lumen of the stomach or is located in the submucosal layer.

Reasons

Doctors have still not been able to find the exact reason why leiomyosarcoma occurs. A large number of negative factors lead to the development of this disease:

• improper or inadequate nutrition, abuse of fatty and spicy foods leads to the destruction of the walls of the stomach, which provokes the active growth of smooth muscles;
• lack of vitamins and minerals in the diet;
• exposure to radiation and ultraviolet radiation on the body, for example, people who often fly on airplanes and undergo access control through X-ray arches are more susceptible to any types of tumors;
• areas with poor ecology provoke not only pollution of the lungs, but also of the entire body;
• weak immune system;
• hormonal imbalance causes tumor growth due to significant cell proliferation;
• the influence of certain bacteria and viral diseases, for example, the bacterium Helicobacter pylori can cause not only leiomyoma, but also antral gastritis;
• inflammation of the gastric mucosa;
• nervous tension and stress;
• hereditary predisposition to stomach diseases.

Symptoms

It is difficult to diagnose the initial stage of gastric leiomyoma, since when it is small in size it is not a concern. The main symptoms appear when the tumor begins to increase in size and bleed. Most often, leiomyosarcoma is diagnosed with the following symptoms:

• dizziness and weakness, which are typical for internal bleeding;
• a sharp decrease in body weight, which is associated with the destruction of the gastric mucosa and its inability to absorb nutrients;
• a decrease in the level of hemoglobin in the blood and, conversely, an increase in the number of leukocytes may indicate bleeding of internal organs;
• severe pain in the stomach after eating;
• dark color of stool is a sign of intestinal or gastric bleeding;
• constant fatigue;
• pale skin due to blood loss and anemia;
• Frequent heartburn occurs due to the release of gastric juice into the esophagus, as the stomach decreases in size due to the tumor.

Diagnostics

To make an accurate diagnosis and detect leiomyoma, complex diagnostics is used, which includes the following methods:

• collecting anamnesis about the patient, that is, living conditions, place of work, recent health status;
• During a physical examination, painful sensations are also identified;
• it is necessary to take a blood, urine, and stool test to detect blood in it;
• fibrogastroendoscopy will allow you to assess the condition of the digestive tract;
• Ultrasound diagnostics (ultrasound) makes it possible to determine the size of the tumor and its location;
• Additionally, a bacterial analysis is prescribed for the presence of bacteria that cause ulcerative conditions;
• Using computed tomography, you can find out about the origin of this type of sarcoma, as a full scan of the organ is performed.

Treatment methods for gastric leiomyoma

When prescribing a treatment method, the size of the tumor and the general condition of the patient play an important role. If the submucosal formation is up to 3 cm, in this case gastroendoscopy is performed. Local removal of the tumor will preserve healthy gastric tissue. Abdominal surgery is used only for large tumors. In the postoperative period, anti-inflammatory medications and antibiotics are prescribed. Medicines that reduce hydrochloric acid levels are also prescribed. In this case, the submucosa recovers much faster.

Unconventional treatment

It is imperative to avoid spicy, fatty, and smoked foods.

During the postoperative period, the patient must follow a strict diet and follow the recommendations of the attending physician. Mandatory avoidance of spicy, fatty, smoked, and heavy-for-the-stomach foods; coffee and alcoholic drinks. The diet should include various types of cereals, lean meats, vegetable purees, dairy products and fish.

Folk remedies will help to effectively restore the body after surgery. Taking antitumor preparations will significantly improve the general condition and have a beneficial effect on the submucosal tissues: collecting plantain herbs, celandine, chamomile, St. John's wort, galangal, calendula, tartar, calamus root. In addition to the above-mentioned herbs, tinctures of periwinkle, calamus, mistletoe, and tartar can be used.

The modern classification of stomach tumors distinguishes between benign and malignant tumors of varying degrees of differentiation. Neoplasms grow both in the tissues of the mucous membrane and in the smooth muscle structure of the organ. In the latter case, they speak of the appearance of gastric leiomyoma.

What is leiomyoma

Gastric leiomyoma is a nonepithelial tumor growing from smooth muscle tissue. The neoplasm is one of the rare ones. The tumor can reach large sizes (maximum weight - 7 kg) and over time degenerate into low-grade cancer g1.

Non-epithelial formations in the stomach are detected in 12% of patients with similar problems. The risk group includes people over 50 years of age.

Choristoma, hemangioma, neuroendocrine tumor and leiomyoma are more often diagnosed in women. Moreover, it is the latter that make up a large proportion of submucosal neoplasms of the stomach.

The danger of leiomyomas lies in the fact that the tumor process occurs without pronounced symptoms. The growth of neoplasms is accompanied by clinical phenomena characteristic of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, biopsy of leiomyoma does not always give a positive result.

The tumor is characterized by a round shape and the presence of an ulcerated surface. The tumor usually grows inside the stomach, but cases have been reported when leiomyoma penetrates into neighboring tissues.

In case of malignancy of tumor cells, leiomyosarcoma develops. The latter is registered in 1% with tumors in the stomach.

In the absence of metastases and infiltration in organ tissues, leiomyosarcoma is difficult to differentiate from a benign tumor.

Reasons

Researchers have identified many factors that provoke the appearance of submucosal formation. In this case, the main reason for the formation of a tumor is considered to be a violation of the process of cell division of smooth muscle fibers. As a result of third-party influence, one or more nodes appear in the stomach.

Provoking factors include:

1. Incorrect nutrition. Frequent consumption of spicy and fatty foods causes stomach dysfunction. Disruption last leads to a general weakening of the body.
2. Radiation. Provokes disruption of cell division in the body.
3. Polluted atmosphere. Lack of oxygen in the body provokes dysfunction of internal organs and systems.
4. Bacterial and viral infection. Infections, penetrating the stomach, contribute to the development of peptic ulcers, gastritis and other pathologies.
5. Injuries stomach.
6. Hormone an imbalance that provokes tumor processes in the body.
7. Immunodeficiency.
8. Hereditary predisposition and intense stress.

Most leiomyomas form in the antrum of the stomach (near the entrance). It takes several months or years for the tumor to reach a size sufficient to display clinical signs.

The submucosal formation of the antrum of the stomach, growing submucosally (inside the organ), resembles a polyp in appearance: both growths are round in size and attached to the mucosa with a wide base.

If leiomyoma penetrates into neighboring tissues, signs of damage to the digestive system occur during the period when the tumor reaches a large size.

A neoplasm that grows towards the abdominal cavity often becomes twisted. As a result, symptoms characteristic of ovarian cysts in women arise.

As leiomyoma develops, the tissues that make up the tumor gradually disintegrate. Cavities and cysts form in the structure of the latter. Large nodular formations block the flow of food into the stomach, which causes characteristic symptoms.

Clinical signs

The growth of leiomyoma is asymptomatic. The first clinical phenomena indicating damage to the stomach occur when the tumor reaches 5 cm in diameter. However, even with this size, symptoms of the tumor are diagnosed in 10-15% of patients.

The presence of pathological nodes in the stomach is indicated by a sharp decrease in body weight. This is explained by the fact that ulcers appear on the mucous membrane due to the development of the tumor process.

The latter begin to bleed over time, as a result of which the patient experiences frequent dizziness and weakness. The second consequence of ulcers is anemia. However, this complication is mild and is detected during a blood test. The development of anemia causes the skin to become pale.

Tumor manifestations also cause heartburn due to the reflux of gastric juice into the esophagus. This process develops against the background of a decrease in muscle tone of the mucous membrane.

Along with these symptoms, the patient often experiences pain, similar in nature to the sensations that arise due to hunger. Especially often such phenomena occur at night. Moreover, painkillers do not always relieve discomfort.

The course of the tumor process in the tissues of the stomach is indicated by a change in the color of the stool. This sign appears one of the first. Darkening of the stool indicates bleeding within the digestive system.

Diagnostics

Detection of leiomyomas is carried out on the basis of patient complaints and instrumental examination of the stomach. Ultrasound in this case is informative, provided that the tumor reaches a large size.

In addition, this method does not allow one to determine the location from which the node grows. Therefore, ultrasound is complemented by MSCT of the abdominal cavity, with the help of which the problem area is visualized and the number of neoplasms is determined.

Similar results are obtained using laterography and double contrast radiography. For small and subserous tumors, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, which is effective for large tumors, does not help determine the characteristics of leiomyoma.

However, this method is used to remove knots in the stomach. To confirm the preliminary diagnosis, after excision, problematic tissues are sent for histological examination.

If leiomyoma tissue disintegrates, an endoscopic biopsy is performed to differentiate the tumor from cancer.

Treatment

For leiomyomas, conservative therapy methods are not used due to the lack of effect of the drugs. The mainstay of treatment for such tumors is surgery.

If submucosal tumors are detected in the stomach, the patient is prescribed a specialized diet. The latter involves avoiding the consumption of fried, spicy and spicy foods and strong drinks.

You should also exclude from your diet fatty meats and mushrooms, which irritate the mucous membrane. Instead of the above products, it is recommended to consume porridge, boiled or baked fish, vegetables and fruits.

The surgical procedure is determined depending on the size of the tumor and the direction in which the leiomyoma grows. Tumors with a diameter of 2-3 cm are removed using gastroendoscopy, later supplemented by cryodestruction. The latter method destroys the problematic tissue remaining after the initial procedure.

Abdominal surgeries are prescribed for large tumors. If the tumor process is not accompanied by internal bleeding, the surgeon excises only the leiomyoma and tissue located at a distance of 2 cm.

In severe cases, when the risk of tumor degeneration is extremely high, gastric resection is performed. After such operations, leiomyomas do not recur.

At the end of the surgical intervention, medications that suppress the inflammatory process are prescribed. In addition to antibacterial drugs, patients are recommended proton pump inhibitors, which block the synthesis of hydrochloric acid.

Possible complications

Leiomyomas in the initial stages of development are not dangerous. But if the tumor grows through the walls of the stomach, peritonitis occurs.

Possible complications include internal bleeding that develops against the background of node ulceration and tumor rupture.

In the absence of adequate treatment, leiomyoma covers most of the stomach, as a result of which the volume of absorbed nutrients decreases. It is also possible that the tumor process will spread to neighboring organs.

The most dangerous complication is the degeneration of the tumor into leiomyosarcoma. The latter is characterized by rapid growth, causing intense intoxication of the body. Leiomyoskarcomas require immediate treatment, otherwise the patient will die.

Prevention and prognosis

The prognosis for leiomyomas is positive in most patients. However, the risk of tumor degeneration cannot be excluded. In such conditions, only 25-50% of patients live more than 5 years with chemotherapy.

Specific methods of prevention have not yet been developed. This is explained by the lack of sufficient information about the causes of the development of nodular neoplasms in the gastric mucosa.

To reduce the risk of leiomyomas, it is recommended to give up bad habits and switch to proper nutrition. In addition, endocrine pathologies that provoke tumor processes should be treated in a timely manner.

Leiomyomas are among the benign neoplasms. The tumor grows from the smooth muscle tissue that makes up the walls of the stomach.

The development of a nodular formation in 15% causes severe symptoms. Treatment of such disorders is carried out with the help of surgery.

• Causes and signs of diseases
• Benign stomach tumors
• Benign tumor: lipoma
• Other benign tumors
• Types of malignant stomach tumor
• What is adenocarcinoma (blastoma)?
• What is MALT lymphoma?

Oncological diseases are becoming more common. Leiomyoma of the stomach has become common among patients, but few have heard about the nature of this disease. There is a tendency towards rejuvenation of the population affected by this pathology. If earlier tumors were found in older people, now the disease is “younger”.

The most common are oncological formations of the digestive system, in particular the stomach (tumors).

Causes and signs of diseases

The main factors causing this disease are:

• poor nutrition;
• imbalance;
• consumption of potential carcinogens (smoked meats, spicy foods, richly seasoned).

In addition, an important factor in the development of the tumor process are inflammatory diseases, such as:

• gastritis;
• ulcers;
• polyposis

You can also add hereditary predisposition and bad habits, such as:

• smoking;
• drinking alcohol;
• overeating.

However, not all these factors always provoke the development of a tumor process. Its course takes a fairly long period of time.

The stomach is an interesting and complex organ. Due to the large number of different cells, it is possible to develop a fairly large number of different tumor formations.

Like all cancers, stomach tumors can be divided into benign and malignant.

Benign tumors of the stomach include leiomyoma, gastric lipoma, polyposis, and neuroendocrine neoplasms.

All of them are conventionally classified as tumors of mesenchymal origin and, unlike cancer, do not develop from the epithelium.

Most often, these formations are localized in the submucosal layer of the stomach or its muscular wall.

Since the tumor is benign, its main features are:

• non-invasive growth;
• endogenous growth (into the stomach cavity);
• rare metastasis and malignancy.

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Benign stomach tumors

Leiomyomas are more common than other benign neoplasms.

They develop in the antrum of the stomach. Most often they reach several centimeters. They grow mainly into the lumen of the stomach, sprouting into its mucous membrane. With such growth, ulceration of the tumor surface is observed with the development of mild bleeding.

Tumor growth towards the abdominal cavity (through the serous membrane) is much less common.

Usually there are no serious clinical manifestations of this tumor. It is discovered during fibrogastroduodenoscopy of the stomach. Mild anemia may be a complication of its development. In rare cases, some antral obstruction may occur due to blockage of the natural transport of food into the pylorus and further into the intestines.

Treatment for this tumor is usually surgical. The tumor can be removed endoscopically (if it is small) or carried out according to Billroth-1 or 2 (if the tumor is quite large).

The prognosis for timely treatment is favorable. In general, patients, even with late-diagnosed leiomyoma, live long enough without any complications to life.

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Benign tumor: lipoma

It develops mainly in the submucosal layer of the stomach wall. Women between the ages of 30 and 40 usually suffer from this disease. Gastric lipoma is located in deep grooves. When it grows massively, it begins to bulge into the lumen of the stomach. It poses a certain danger, as it is a precancerous disease. Because of this, the question of its timely removal is often raised.

The main clinical manifestations of this tumor are usually nonspecific symptoms: abdominal pain, feeling of heaviness after eating, rapid satiety, slight weight loss.

The tumor is removed by exfoliating it from the bed. If the tumor is huge, subtotal gastrectomy is indicated.

After the operation, the prognosis for life is favorable, but the patient must be under the supervision of a gastroenterologist for a long time.

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Other benign tumors

Gastric sarcoma is a benign tumor of mesenchymal origin. The tumor develops from the muscular wall of the stomach. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the stomach and its growth can be observed over a fairly long period (often about 30 or 40 years). It may not manifest itself clinically during this entire time.

It is extremely rare that it occurs under the guise of stomach cancer, and then symptoms such as prolonged, low-intensity aching abdominal pain, dyspeptic disorders (nausea, increased gas formation in the stomach) may come first. In severe cases, bleeding of the tumor surface is observed.

Treatment of this type of tumor, like other cancer processes, is surgical. Most often the question of gastric resection is raised.

Stomach phlegmon is a disease characteristic of men. Microbes penetrate the walls of the stomach, damaging its lining. The inflammatory process can cover the entire stomach.

All of the above tumor formations are benign tumors. For all of them, the prognosis is quite favorable. The survival rate of patients with these diseases always remains at a fairly high level, and the mortality rate is only about 2%.

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Types of malignant stomach tumor

A much greater danger is posed by malignant tumors of the digestive tract, in particular gastric blastoma and maltoma.

All these tumors have a fairly high level of malignancy and a tendency to form metastases.

Malignant tumors account for about 90-95% of all tumor processes occurring in the stomach. This is due to the presence of a large number of epithelial-derived cells.

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What is adenocarcinoma (blastoma)?

Adenocarcinoma develops in the stomach (in other sources you can find its synonyms - blastoma, stomach cancer).

The factors leading to the development of blastoma are the same as those for benign stomach tumors: poor nutrition, the influence of environmental factors and bad habits, increased consumption of carcinogens, viral diseases, hereditary defects and predisposition to the disease.

All these factors lead to the malignant degeneration of several cells of the gastric mucosa, which are most susceptible to etiological factors (damaged cells with impaired mucus formation, cells with an already occurring mutation).

As a result, such cells begin to produce pathological substances that enter into metabolism with the contents of the stomach lumen and affect nearby cells. This leads to their damage, which causes the process of malignancy to progress. An increasing number of cells are involved in the pathological process.

Clinically, gastric blastoma can manifest itself as follows.

Since it develops from glandular epithelial cells (a huge number of which are contained in the fundus of the stomach), its main manifestations will be associated with disruption of food digestion processes. Symptoms such as increased gas formation, nausea, belching of air or undigested pieces of food come to the fore.

These symptoms appear immediately after eating and are accompanied by a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen, bloating, and mild nagging pain.

Undigested food particles may be found in the stool, and if there is heavy bleeding from the surface of the ulcer, melena (black stool that develops due to bleeding) can be detected. The color is due to the effect on the blood of hydrochloric acid, synthesized in large quantities by the parietal cells.

This tumor is diagnosed based on the patient’s complaints (such digestive disorders accompany him for quite a long time, for several months or years), data from instrumental studies, as well as some laboratory parameters.

Treatment of the tumor is carried out either surgically only, if the tumor is small and does not metastasize (in this case, subtotal gastrectomy is indicated), or combined, including, in addition to surgery, the use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy and radiation are usually given to incurable patients with tumor metastasis.

The prognosis for this tumor is unfavorable. The five-year survival rate of patients who have undergone surgery is no more than 15%. If the disease is not diagnosed in a timely manner, people die within 2-3 years, mainly from rapid and aggressive metastasis to other organs and the ineffectiveness of the treatment.

18.05.2017

Leiomas are a rare but unusual tumor in the stomach that can grow to gigantic sizes. The largest gastric leiomyoma weighed 7 kg.

Leiomyomas are non-epithelial tumors and are detected in approximately 12% of all cases of diagnosed gastrointestinal tumors.

Women are more often affected by the disease than the stronger sex. Like other benign tumors, leiomyoma does not manifest itself in any way, and sometimes disguises itself as other diseases.

Leiomyoma was first described in medicine in 1762, and in 1895 the first operation to remove it was performed. Despite the available data on the structure of the tumor, gastric leiomyoma is rarely diagnosed before surgery. The tumor is identified during operations to remove cysts, peritonitis, stomach cancer, etc. Diagnosis is difficult due to scanty symptoms, slow growth of the tumor, as well as the rarity of the diagnosis itself, so doctors may not remember it.

In the stomach, leiomyoma grows slowly, but due to certain factors it can become active.

Doctors know that the main feature of the tumor is the lack of influence on other organs, that is, gastric leiomyoma affects exclusively the stomach. The reason is in the material from which the formation is made. Leiomyoma is formed from its own tissues and is not foreign.

Reasons for the formation of leiomyoma

As is the case with other benign tumors, the reasons for the formation of gastrointestinal leiomyomas have not been identified. Education is not formed in a day, but develops over at least six months. Its growth can be provoked by:

• unfavorable environmental conditions;
• influence of radiation and electromagnetic radiation;
• decreased immunity;
• hormonal imbalance;
• injury, exposure to excessively hot or cold food;
• presence of bacteria, fungi, viruses.

Symptoms

Leiomyoma grows slowly, does not put pressure on other organs and does not affect them. The main danger of the tumor is the risk of degeneration into malignant leiomyosarcoma. In order not to wait for an unfavorable development of the situation, if you have stomach pain or poor digestion, you need to be examined by a specialist every six months.

Often, leiomyoma of the stomach affects its entrance section, bordering the esophagus. Less commonly, a tumor is detected in the pyloric (outlet) part of the stomach and duodenum. Leiomyomas can be single or multiple, characterized by a smooth surface, clear outlines, and rounded shape. Often the tumor grows into the walls of the stomach.

Considering that at the beginning of growth the tumor does not give symptoms, then if there are obvious signs, we can talk about a dangerous development of the situation when there is a threat to the health and life of the patient. The prognosis of the disease and the duration of treatment are influenced by the timeliness of visiting a doctor. Therefore, if you have at least one of the signs listed below, it is better to play it safe and go to see a specialist and undergo an examination as directed. The following symptoms should alert you:

• a feeling of fatigue, dizziness and general malaise usually occurs when the tumor bleeds. Since bleeding does not appear externally, a person does not suspect for a long time why his health condition has worsened;
• the skin becomes pale due to bleeding and associated anemia;
• the color of the stool becomes dark due to the presence of blood;
• despite a good appetite, body weight will decrease. The fact is that substances will not be absorbed in the stomach and will pass through the intestines undigested;
• As the leiomyoma of the stomach grows, it will occupy more and more space, which is why some of the gastric juice will leak into the esophagus, causing heartburn. Such a release of stomach contents mixed with hydrochloric acid will provoke relaxation of the gastroesophageal sphincter;
• a decrease in hemoglobin level against the background of an increase in the number of leukocytes indicates possible internal bleeding;
• pain, disturbing mainly at night, and forcing the patient to eat something. Homemade pain relievers are often ineffective against stomach cramps.

The signs listed above are characteristic of the late stage of development of leiomyoma, when the tumor prevents the stomach from performing its functions, disrupting the functioning of the entire body.

Diagnosis of gastrointestinal leiomyoma

The first thing you need to do is consult a doctor and tell about the troubling symptoms and accurately answer the specialist’s questions. A gastroenterologist may suspect a disease, but it is rarely possible to accurately determine it.

It is necessary to insist on an examination that can reveal the presence of a tumor and differentiate it from other pathologies.

Thanks to ultrasound, it is possible to see subserous tumors in the abdominal cavity, but it is not always possible to identify the connection of the tumor with the wall of the stomach. To clarify the suspected diagnosis, you need to undergo MSCT, which allows you to visualize the tumor in detail, count the number of nodes and determine whether there is a connection with neighboring organs.

Double contrast radiography and laterography reveal a round defect with a clear contour. A characteristic sign of large fibroids is Schindler's symptom - a condition when folds of mucous membrane gather around the tumor node. If the tumor is not yet too large, then the motor ability of the mucous membrane does not change, the number of folds is normal.

Modern diagnostics necessarily include an endoscopic examination, but it should not be overestimated. In each case, different methods of examination differ in their information content. For example, esophagogastroduodenoscopy does not provide data on small intramural and subserous leiomyomas. But if the tumor is of the submucosal type, then this technique allows for immediate treatment, or rather, removal of the tumor during the examination.

However, often the prognosis during the operation is incorrect (usually polyps in the stomach are diagnosed); only a pathohistological examination can reveal that the removal was carried out in relation to leiomyoma. If the doctor sees an ulcerated tumor with the beginning of decay, he performs an endoscopic biopsy to rule out stomach cancer.

To diagnose large subserous fibroids in the stomach, you will need to undergo laparoscopy to identify the size of the tumor, its relationship with the structure of the stomach wall, and at the same time draw up a plan for the subsequent operation.

Doctors know that subserous nodes are dangerous, and surgery should not be postponed, since rupture of fibroids can cause massive internal bleeding, which can be fatal.

Treatment of stomach tumor

As mentioned above, diagnosing gastric leiomyoma is seriously difficult, so patients with this pathology are often stuck for a long time in the gastroenterology department of the hospital in search of various diseases. As soon as a leiomyoma is identified, the patient is immediately transferred to surgery, since the decision must be made quickly.

Leiomyoma is dangerous to health; complications of the pathology include heavy bleeding, rupture of fibroids and the stomach wall, peritonitis, and degeneration of tumor cells into malignant ones. Each of these conditions poses a serious threat to the health and life of the patient, so it is important to identify the problem in time and not delay treatment.

If submucosal nodes are identified, consultation with an endoscopy specialist is necessary, who will determine the future scope of intervention. The standard treatment tactics used today boils down to the following: for a small leiomyoma in the stomach, it is excised within the boundaries of intact tissue, then sutures are placed on the lining of the stomach.

If complications such as bleeding or suspected degeneration into a malignant tumor are detected, gastric resection with leiomyoma is performed. Surgery is postponed in exceptional cases if there are serious contraindications: diabetes, tuberculosis, pathologies of the cardiovascular system and similar conditions.

If you have a serious illness, it is important to follow your doctor's recommendations, including advice on adjusting your diet. The patient is contraindicated in drinking coffee and alcoholic beverages, heavy foods (mushrooms, fatty meats, lard), fried and spicy foods.

It is useful to consume dairy products and cereals, lean meat and fish. Tea is replaced with herbal infusions. Herbal medicine is prescribed by a doctor individually, taking into account existing pathologies. It is useful to drink cabbage and potato juice, and make an infusion of sea buckthorn.

Prevention of the disease consists of regular examination by a doctor after 50 years, giving up bad habits, and adjusting the diet.

Gastric leiomyoma (ICD-10 code – D13.0) is a benign neoplasm formed from the muscle tissue of this digestive organ. Why does a tumor occur and how to cure it?

Concept and reasons

Many people do not know what gastric leiomyoma is, so they immediately begin to panic when they hear such a diagnosis. This disease is understood as a benign tumor. It occurs when tissue cells begin to divide uncontrollably.

Scientists have not fully figured out why this happens. But doctors point to predisposing factors for this disease. Their list includes the following:

1. Heredity.
2. Failure of hormonal balance.
3. Weak immune system.
4. Infectious pathologies in the body.
5. Stomach damage.
6. Poor nutrition.
7. Inflammatory processes in the digestive organ.
8. Impact of radiation exposure on the body.
9. Penetration of chemicals, poisons and other harmful substances into the stomach.
10. Alcohol abuse.
11. Smoking.

In most cases, leiomyoma in the stomach area occurs in people over 40 years of age, but pathology can also occur in younger patients.

Symptoms

The clinical picture of leiomyoma in the stomach does not appear for a long time. While the tumor is small, it does not interfere with the functioning of the organ, so the patient does not notice pathological changes.

But as the node grows, the following symptoms may occur:

• Pain in the stomach area.
• Nausea.
• Vomit.
• Bleeding from the stomach.
• Heartburn.
• Bloody discharge in stool.

These manifestations are very similar to those that occur in patients with peptic ulcer disease. Therefore, doctors often confuse these pathologies.

If the tumor is on a stalk, then there is a risk of twisting it. As a result of torsion, the leiomyoma stops receiving nutrition and dies. Dead tissue is released into the body, which can lead to serious consequences, including death.

If the tumor degenerates into a malignant form, the symptoms worsen and the patient’s condition worsens greatly. The patient begins to suffer from acute pain, appetite disappears, general weakness occurs, and body temperature rises.

Diagnostics

To identify fibroids, the following examination methods are prescribed:

1. Blood test.
2. Urinalysis.
3. Ultrasound examination.
4. Gastroduodenoscopy.
5. Computed tomography.

To accurately determine whether the tumor is benign, a biopsy and histological examination are performed.

Treatment

Treatment of gastric leiomyoma is carried out primarily by surgery. If the size of the tumor does not exceed 3 cm, cryotherapy may be prescribed. The essence of the technique is the effect of cold on the lesion. Under the influence of low temperature, tumor cells die.

If a larger leiomyoma is detected, then abdominal surgery cannot be avoided. The doctor excises the tumor, capturing some healthy tissue.

If there are complications, for example, ulcers are present, bleeding occurs, or malignant degeneration begins, then the attending physician decides on partial or complete removal of the stomach.

After surgical treatment of leiomyoma, recurrence is usually not observed. If the patient follows the doctor’s instructions during the rehabilitation process, serious complications will be avoided.

Diet

If leiomyoma occurs in the stomach, patients need to adjust their diet. The following should be excluded from the menu:

• Fatty dishes.
• Fried food.
• Spicy foods.
• Marinated dishes.
• Strong tea, coffee.
• Alcoholic drinks.
• Mushrooms.

All of these products negatively affect the condition of the mucous membrane and irritate it.

You should choose low-fat varieties of meat. The menu should include porridge, fish, vegetables, fruits, and herbal teas.

Forecast

The prognosis for gastric leiomyoma is favorable. The disease occurs in a benign form, so surgical intervention allows you to completely get rid of the formation and return to a full life.

If the tumor develops into a malignant lesion, the prognosis will be less positive. In this case, everything will depend on the degree of development of the pathology. The more advanced the disease, the worse the outcome.

Prevention

To prevent the development of benign leiomyoma, the following is recommended:

1. Adhere to healthy eating rules.
2. Stop smoking.
3. Don't get carried away with alcoholic drinks.
4. Lead an active lifestyle.
5. Treat gastritis and gastric ulcers.

Thus, gastric leiomyoma is a benign neoplasm. But, despite this, the pathology must be treated in order to avoid the development of complications and malignant degeneration of the tumor.