Carcinomatosis

What is carcinomatosis?

Carcinomatosis is the presence of multiple metastases in the serous membranes or tissues of various organs. This is one of the most unfavorable options for the development of various types of cancer, when, during an active malignant process, cancer cells spread throughout the body, entering various organs and tissues, and they are involved in the pathological process.

The presence of secondary malignant tumors dramatically reduces the likelihood of recovery. However, modern oncology offers therapies that allow patients to continue fighting with poor prognosis. And even if it is not possible to completely get rid of a malignant disease, therapy helps to prolong life and improve its quality.

Causes of carcinomatosis

Carcinomatosis should not be considered as a separate disease, since in fact it is a consequence of a malignant tumor process that began earlier in a particular organ. With the active development of cancer, the tumor grows, while cancer cells can enter the blood and lymph. Through the vessels, they move throughout the body, and thus enter the tissues, which can be located quite far from the primary tumor. In places where these cells “take root”, secondary neoplasms develop.

What does carcinomatosis look like?

Carcinomatosis is multiple neoplasms scattered in the tissues of the body. Visually, it looks like tumors of different sizes, which can be located in the form of blotches in healthy tissue or can merge into large conglomerates. Metastatic formations can be both small and reach large sizes – 10 centimeters or more.

Symptoms and signs of carcinomatosis

Symptoms differ depending on the area in which metastases occur. Common symptoms of carcinomatosis include:

• severe weight loss for which there is no rational explanation;
• strong “causeless” weakness;
• pain in the area of ​​location of metastases.

There are several types of pathology, each of which has its own specific signs and symptoms.

Types of carcinomatosis

Depending on the place of occurrence of multiple malignant neoplasms, doctors diagnose different types of carcinomatosis. The most common is peritoneal carcinomatosis. However, pleural carcinomatosis and meningeal carcinomatosis may also develop.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis

Carcinomatosis of the peritoneum is a fairly common phenomenon, which is observed in about 20-30% of cases in the presence of oncological pathology. Another name for this disease is peritoneal carcinomatosis.

The most common cause of its development is cancer of the gastrointestinal tract (gastric cancer, colorectal cancer). The second most common cause of its occurrence may be ovarian cancer. In addition, other malignant diseases can lead to abdominal cavity carcinomatosis, in which the primary tumor can be localized both in the abdomen and in other parts of the body (for example, breast cancer).

Typical symptoms of peritoneal carcinomatosis:

• ascites (the appearance of excess fluid in the abdominal cavity, due to which the stomach noticeably increases in size);
• pain in the abdomen;
• nausea and vomiting;
• constipation or diarrhea;
• lower back pain.

Also, due to severe ascites, weight gain can occur.

Pleural carcinomatosis

Pleural carcinomatosis is a pathological condition in which metastases affect the pleura that covers the lungs. Most often, this type of pathology occurs against the background of cancer of the lungs, breast, stomach, as well as other malignant diseases. If metastases are located in the lungs, a characteristic feature of the pathology is pleurisy. Therefore, signs of pleurisy develop:

• dyspnea;
• cough;
• accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity.

Meningeal carcinomatosis

Meningeal carcinomatosis, or leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, is a rare condition that affects the lining of the brain or spinal cord. With this form of pathology, the symptoms can vary greatly. These can be severe headaches, visual disturbances, speech disorders, cognitive disorders, problems with coordination of movements, and other signs of impaired brain function.

Stages of carcinomatosis

Doctors distinguish several stages of this pathological condition:

• First stage. There are one or more small metastatic nodes, the size of which is up to 5 mm.
• Second stage. There are already several neoplasms, but between them there are still fragments of healthy tissues.
• Third stage. Numerous metastases are found, large areas of tissues are involved in the process. Usually such a picture is observed in the fourth stage of a malignant disease.

How long do people with carcinomatosis live?

Without treatment, people with this pathology live less than a year. However, today there are techniques that can influence the activity of cancer and slow its spread. To find specialists who treat carcinomatosis, send us a request for a consultation.

Diagnosis of carcinomatosis

The examination includes methods of visual diagnostics. The most informative are:

• Computed tomography, MSCT with contrast. These methods detect metastases, accurately determining their location and size. This is a fairly accurate diagnosis, which reveals tumors with a diameter of 1-2 mm.
• Magnetic resonance imaging. MRI evaluates the location, size, structure and nature of neoplasms.

In addition, doctors may prescribe additional studies, for example, with carcinomatosis of the meninges, an analysis of cerebrospinal fluid for cytology may be useful, and with peritoneal carcinomatosis, laparoscopy with biopsy may be prescribed.

Treatment of carcinomatosis

When treating, it is necessary to take into account what type the primary tumor belongs to. Therapy is selected individually and may include various methods: chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy. If it is not possible to completely eliminate the neoplasms, palliative treatment is prescribed, which is aimed at improving the patient’s well-being and prolonging life.

Surgical treatment

The operation is most effective in the early stages. With a large number of neoplasms, it is not possible to remove them all. In such cases, cytoreductive surgery is prescribed – the removal of the primary neoplasm and most of the other malignant foci. This is usually followed by chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy in the treatment of carcinomatosis

Chemotherapy can be done in different ways:

• Oral chemotherapy, when drugs are given in pill form.
• Intravenous chemotherapy. Involves intravenous injection of drugs.
• Local injection of chemotherapeutic drugs in the area of ​​metastasis concentration.

Treatment for peritoneal carcinomatosis often involves hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). In this case, the medicine is injected directly into the abdominal cavity and preheated to 40 degrees. The advantage of this introduction is the ability to increase the concentration of the drug, which makes the therapy more effective. Hyperthermia also allows drugs to work more actively on cancer cells and penetrate deeper into the affected tissues. Usually this type of chemotherapy is combined with cytoreductive surgery. Such treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis allows removing up to 90% of all metastases.

Aerosol chemotherapy can also be used, in which the drug is sprayed into the abdominal cavity under pressure.

In the treatment of meningeal carcinomatosis, chemotherapy drugs may be injected into the cerebrospinal fluid. To do this, a special reservoir can be installed under the scalp, which will be connected to areas of the brain that produce cerebrospinal fluid.

In recent years, targeted therapy has been actively introduced. This is a type of chemotherapy that has a number of advantages. In this case, drugs are used that have an effect directly on malignant cells, while healthy tissues are almost not affected. However, targeted drugs are not available for all types of cancer, so this technique may not always be used.

Radiation therapy

Radiation or radiotherapy can also be used as an additional method. Irradiation of the place of concentration of tumor formations is carried out, which leads to their reduction and reduces the activity of the disease. The radiation dose is selected individually for each specific case.

Prevention of carcinomatosis

Carcinomatosis occurs due to the long-term development of some kind of malignant process. Therefore, prevention will be timely treatment of the primary tumor. If it is detected in the early stages and an effective treatment is selected, this will help minimize the likelihood of the spread of the tumor process.

Cancer vaccines can be used to prevent recurrence of the disease and the development of metastases. These are special preparations, the task of which is to connect the body’s natural defenses to the fight against cancer.

The MedTour platform cooperates with the developers of such vaccines. By contacting us, you can use several types of cancer vaccines.

Cancer vaccines

Xenovaccine is a preventive vaccine, for the production of which quail tumor-associated antigens are used, specially modified. Xenovaccine can be used in the treatment of malignant diseases as the final stage of the course of therapy. The introduction of the drug after the tumor is removed will help to avoid the re-development of the malignant process. It can also be done to people who are at risk.

Another option for cancer vaccines is the autovaccine. Its peculiarity is that for its manufacture, neoplasm tissues of the person to whom it will be injected are needed. The use of autovaccine is recommended after removal of the tumor. It can be prescribed during treatment in combination with other methods or after completion of therapy. Its use can significantly reduce the risk of metastasis.

After being introduced into the body, cancer vaccines act in a special way on the cells of the immune system. Due to this, the immune system begins to fight the malignant disease on its own. Cancer vaccines can be made, for example, at the LIV Istinye Clinic (Turkey) or the Cellthera Clinic (Czech Republic). To learn more about cancer vaccination, please contact us.

The best clinics for the treatment of carcinomatosis

You have the opportunity to treat carcinomatosis in the best oncology centers in the world, equipped with the latest technology and using the most advanced methods of therapy. In such clinics, doctors are ready to treat patients with difficult diagnoses, look for personal approaches and opportunities to fight cancer.

The MedTour platform cooperates with such clinics as:

• Medipol University Hospital (Istanbul). The oncology department of this clinic uses the most advanced approaches, the clinic participates in clinical trials of new methods of treatment.
• Teknon Medical Center (Spain). The treatment of oncological diseases is one of the main specializations of the clinic.
• Sourasky Medical Center (Israel). One of the best clinics in the world according to the American magazine Newsweek.
• Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch (Germany). A large medical concern, which has 8 oncology centers of various specializations.
• Samsung Medical Center (South Korea). World famous clinic with its own oncology center.

On our website, you can choose clinics that treat malignant diseases using the latest protocols and techniques. The medical coordinator of MedTour will help you with the choice.

The best doctors for the treatment of carcinomatosis

Complex conditions such as carcinomatosis are difficult to treat. Therefore, it is very important to find a qualified doctor who will be ready to join the fight against the disease together with the patient. The MedTour platform works with the best oncologists both from Ukraine and from various foreign countries.

To find the best specialists in the treatment of carcinomatosis, contact us. Give us a call or fill out the contact form. The medical coordinator of MedTour will contact you and help you choose the doctor that is most suitable for you.

Published: 18.08.2023

Updated: 03.09.2023

Medical author, Medical editor:

Natalia Segen

Medical author, Medical editor:

Olena Kursabaieva