A lump can be easily defined — as a soft or hard bulge or protuberance in the skin. Lumps can affect any part of the body and vary in size. Some lumps are painful while others are not accompanied by any pain. The presence of lumps often points to the presence of cancers. Still, lumps are not only caused this malignant disease. Lumps may also occur in many benign illnesses, so if you feel a lump, pay attention and seek medical help, but do not immediately panic.
Causes of a Lump in the Stomach
There are many causes of a lump in the "stomach", or abdominal region of the skin. However, the most common reasons you might feel a lump around your stomach area are abdominal hernia, urinary tract infection, and stomach cancer.
Abdominal hernia is a protrusion of the intestine through weak sections in the abdominal muscles. The lump you feel as a result of an abdominal hernia consists of skin, underlying tissue, and intestines protruding through a hole.
Abdominal hernia may affect people of all ages. Still, there is predisposition for this illness. Namely, people with weak abdominal muscles as well as those who face increased intraabdominal pressure are more prone to abdominal hernia. This particularly refers to pregnant women and obese people.
Abdominal hernia can be classified into several types according to its location and there are epigastric hernia, femoral hernia, incisional hernia,umbilical hernia, inguinal hernia and indirect inguinal hernia. A lump caused by intestinal herniation can increase in size if the abdominal pressure rises.
Another cause of a lump in stomach can be associated with urinary tract infection. The infection in this case affects only some parts of the urinary tract or starts in one part (such as the bladder), and then spreads onto the other organs of the urinary tract (such as the kidneys).
An infection of the urinary tract does not feature a single lump in the stomach, but there is sometimes general abdominal bulging and discomfort. The patients additionally complain about pain in the bladder or kidney area, painful and frequent urination, and burning sensations, which all points to the presence of a urinary tract infection and makes making the diagnosis rather easy.
One more cause of lump in stomach is stomach cancer. This is a malignant disease which develops from the stomach cells, grows uncontrollably and tends to spread and affect surrounding organs and tissues. Only if big enough and in case of skinny patients this tumor may be visible on the front wall of the abdomen and easily palpated. The previously mentioned points to the progression of the disease with the poor prognosis.
It is important to point out that benign (non-cancerous) tumors can also develop in the abdominal region. Such tumors can form from muscle, or within internal organs, and can certainly lead to a noticeable lump in the stomach. Even fatty deposits called lipomas, which are not tumors, can be felt as lumps in the stomach.
Treatment for a Lump in the Stomach
If a person discovers a lump in the abdomen, he or she is supposed to report it to a doctor immediately. Abdominal hernia is easily treated surgically and only if left untreated may a hernia cause certain complications such as intestinal strangulation and incarceration.
Urinary tract infections are successfully treated with antibiotics, while stomach cancer requires several treatment modalities including surgery, chemotherapy and sometimes radiation therapy. Which of the previously mentioned is going to be applied depends on the diagnosis, the stage of the disease, pathohistological type of the tumor, its grade, and the general health of the patient.
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