Hamartoma (patient information)

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Hamartoma

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Who is at highest risk?

Diagnosis

When to seek urgent medical care?

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Hamartoma?

Prevention

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Hamartoma On the Web

Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov

Images of Hamartoma

Videos on Hamartoma

FDA on Hamartoma

CDC on Hamartoma

Hamartoma in the news

Blogs on Hamartoma

Directions to Hospitals Treating Hamartoma

Risk calculators and risk factors for Hamartoma

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Maria Fernanda Villarreal, M.D. [2]

Overview

A hamartoma is defined as a focal growth that resembles a neoplasm but results from faulty development in an organ. They can occur anywhere in the body. They have been described in many organs but especially the chest, breast, skin and brain. They are also reported in the eye, colon and liver.

What are the symptoms of Hamartoma?

Symptoms depend upon the site of the lesion and they may present at any time from birth to middle age but usually early in life.

What causes Hamartoma?

Hamartomas result from an abnormal formation of normal tissue, although the underlying reasons for the abnormality are not fully understood. They grow along with, and at the same rate as, the organ from whose tissue they are made, and, unlike cancerous tumors, only rarely invade or compress surrounding structures significantly.

Who is at highest risk?

People with family history of a hamartomatous syndrome, such as Cowden's disease, tuberous sclerosis, and Proteus syndrome.

Diagnosis

When to seek urgent medical care?

Ask your doctor about the risks of a biopsy versus monitoring the size of the hamartoma with regular x-rays.

Reasons for a biopsy or removing the nodule may include:

  • Smoking.
  • The nodule size has grown compared to earlier x-rays.
  • A CT scan suggests the lesion is malignant (cancerous).

Treatment options

Excision biopsy is often required for diagnosis. Hypothalamic hamartomas are usually benign but often associated with seizures which do not respond to medication and surgical removal may be required. Pulmonary hamartomas can be removed using a thorascopic approach.

Where to find medical care for Hamartoma?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Hamartoma

Prevention of Hamartoma

There is no primary or secondary prevention for hamartoma. However, on familial syndromes early screening is recommended.

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Hamartomas are generally benign, they can cause problems due to their location.

Possible complications

They may obstruct practically any organ in the body, such as the eye, the colon, etc. They are particularly likely to cause major health issues when located in the hypothalamus, spleen, kidneys or lips.

Source

Hamartomas. http://patient.info/doctor/Hamartomas. Accessed on January, 08 2016.

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