Lymphangitis carcinomatosa

Lymphangitis carcinomatosa
Specialty	Oncology

Last updated June 27, 2019

Lymphangitis carcinomatosa is inflammation of the lymph vessels (lymphangitis) caused by a malignancy. Breast, lung, stomach, pancreas, and prostate cancers are the most common tumors that result in lymphangitis. Lymphangitis carcinomatosa was first described by pathologist Gabriel Andral in 1829 in a patient with uterine cancer. Lymphangitis carcinomatosa may show the presence of Kerley B lines on chest X-ray.

Lymphangitis inflammation or an infection of the lymphatic channels that occurs as a result of infection at a site distal to the channel

Lymphangitis is an inflammation or an infection of the lymphatic channels that occurs as a result of infection at a site distal to the channel. The most common cause of lymphangitis in humans is Streptococcus pyogenes, although it can also be caused by the fungus Sporothrix schenckii. Lymphangitis is sometimes mistakenly called "blood poisoning". In reality, "blood poisoning" is synonymous with sepsis.

Malignancy is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse.

Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word pathology also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of bioscience research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatment, the term is often used in a more narrow fashion to refer to processes and tests which fall within the contemporary medical field of "general pathology," an area which includes a number of distinct but inter-related medical specialties that diagnose disease, mostly through analysis of tissue, cell, and body fluid samples. Idiomatically, "a pathology" may also refer to the predicted or actual progression of particular diseases, and the affix path is sometimes used to indicate a state of disease in cases of both physical ailment and psychological conditions. A physician practicing pathology is called a pathologist.

Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain or pain during sexual intercourse. While bleeding after sex may not be serious, it may also indicate the presence of cervical cancer.

Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Early symptoms may include heartburn, upper abdominal pain, nausea and loss of appetite. Later signs and symptoms may include weight loss, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, vomiting, difficulty swallowing and blood in the stool among others. The cancer may spread from the stomach to other parts of the body, particularly the liver, lungs, bones, lining of the abdomen and lymph nodes.

Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a red or scaly patch of skin. In those with distant spread of the disease, there may be bone pain, swollen lymph nodes, shortness of breath, or yellow skin.

Pathology

In most cases, lymphangitis carcinomatosis is caused by the dissemination of a tumor with its cells along the lymphatics.^[2] However, in about 20 percent of cases, the inflammation of the lymphatic tubules (lymphangitis) is caused by a tumor that blocks the drainage of the lymph duct. In the lung, this is often caused by a centrally located mass, near the hilum of the lung that blocks lymphatic drainage.

Prognosis

Previously, the finding of lymphangitis carcinomatosis meant about a six-month life expectancy.^[2] However, improved treatment has improved survival in patients with lymphangitis carcinomatosis, with patients often surviving three or more years with treatment.^[2]

History

Lymphangitis carcinomatosa was first described by pathologist Gabriel Andral in 1829 in a patient with uterine cancer.^[3]

Gabriel Andral was a distinguished French pathologist and a professor at the University of Paris.

Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, are two types of cancer that develops from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the uterus. Symptoms of endometrial cancer include unusual vaginal bleeding or pain in the pelvis. Symptoms of uterine sarcoma include unusual vaginal bleeding or a mass in the vagina.

Related Research Articles

Lymphedema, also known as lymphoedema and lymphatic edema, is a condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system. The lymphatic system functions as a critical portion of the body's immune system and returns interstitial fluid to the bloodstream. Lymphedema is most frequently a complication of cancer treatment or parasitic infections, but it can also be seen in a number of genetic disorders. Though incurable and progressive, a number of treatments can ameliorate symptoms. Tissues with lymphedema are at high risk of infection because the lymphatic system has been compromised.

Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; it is typically spoken of as such spread by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, are metastases (mets). It is generally distinguished from cancer invasion, which is the direct extension and penetration by cancer cells into neighboring tissues.

Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility.

Lymphadenopathy or adenopathy is disease of the lymph nodes, in which they are abnormal in size or consistency. Lymphadenopathy of an inflammatory type is lymphadenitis, producing swollen or enlarged lymph nodes. In clinical practice, the distinction between lymphadenopathy and lymphadenitis is rarely made and the words are usually treated as synonymous. Inflammation of the lymphatic vessels is known as lymphangitis. Infectious lymphadenitis affecting lymph nodes in the neck is often called scrofula.

Lymphadenectomy or lymph node dissection is the surgical removal of one or more groups of lymph nodes. It is almost always performed as part of the surgical management of cancer. In a regional lymph node dissection, some of the lymph nodes in the tumor area are removed; in a radical lymph node dissection, most or all of the lymph nodes in the tumor area are removed.

Pseudomyxoma peritonei appendix cancer that is characterized by progressive accumulation of mucus-secreting tumor cells within the abdomen and pelvis

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a clinical condition caused by cancerous cells that produce abundant mucin or gelatinous ascites. The tumors cause fibrosis of tissues and impede digestion or organ function, and if left untreated, the tumors and mucin they produce will fill the abdominal cavity. This will result in compression of organs and will destroy the function of colon, small intestine, stomach, or other organs. Prognosis with treatment in many cases is optimistic, but the disease is lethal if untreated, with death by cachexia, bowel obstruction, or other types of complications.

A chylothorax is a type of pleural effusion. It results from lymph formed in the digestive system called chyle accumulating in the pleural cavity due to either disruption or obstruction of the thoracic duct. In people on a normal diet, this effusion can be identified by its turbid, milky white appearance, since chyle contains high levels of triglycerides. It is important to distinguish chylothorax from pseudochylothorax, which has a similar appearance, but is caused by more chronic inflammatory processes, and has a different treatment. The condition is rare but serious. It results from leakage of lymph fluid from the thoracic duct or one of its tributaries. There are many treatments, both surgical and conservative. About 2 to 3 percent of pleural effusions are chylothoraces.

Desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor is an aggressive and rare cancer that primarily occurs as masses in the abdomen. Other areas affected may include the lymph nodes, the lining of the abdomen, diaphragm, spleen, liver, chest wall, skull, spinal cord, large intestine, small intestine, bladder, brain, lungs, testicles, ovaries, and the pelvis. Reported sites of metastatic spread include the liver, lungs, lymph nodes, brain, skull, and bones.

Adjuvant therapy, also known as adjunct therapy, add-on therapy, and adjuvant care, is therapy that is given in addition to the primary or initial therapy to maximize its effectiveness. The surgeries and complex treatment regimens used in cancer therapy have led the term to be used mainly to describe adjuvant cancer treatments. An example of such adjuvant therapy is the additional treatment usually given after surgery where all detectable disease has been removed, but where there remains a statistical risk of relapse due to the presence of undetected disease. If known disease is left behind following surgery, then further treatment is not technically adjuvant.

The uterine sarcomas form a group of malignant tumors that arises from the smooth muscle or connective tissue of the uterus.

Supraclavicular lymph nodes are lymph nodes found superior to the clavicle, palpable in the supraclavicular fossa. The supraclavicular lymph nodes on the left side are called Virchow's nodes.

A micrometastasis is a small collection of cancer cells that has been shed from the original tumor and spread to another part of the body through the lymphovascular system. Micrometastases are too few, in size and quantity, to be picked up in a screening or diagnostic test, and therefore cannot be seen with imaging tests such as a mammogram, MRI, ultrasound, PET, or CT scans. These migrant cancer cells may group together to form a second tumor, which is so small that it can only be seen under a microscope. Approximately ninety percent of people who die from cancer die from metastatic disease, since these cells are so challenging to detect. It is important for these cancer cells to be treated immediately after discovery, in order to prevent the relapse and the likely death of the patient.

Breast cancer management takes different approaches depending on physical and biological characteristics of the disease, as well as the age, over-all health and personal preferences of the patient. Treatment types can be classified into local therapy and systemic treatment. Local therapy is most efficacious in early stage breast cancer, while systemic therapy is generally justified in advanced and metastatic disease, or in diseases with specific phenotypes.

Cancer of unknown primary origin (CUP) is a cancer that is determined to be at the metastatic stage at the time of diagnosis, but a primary tumor cannot be identified. A diagnosis of CUP requires a clinical picture consistent with metastatic disease and one or more biopsy results inconsistent with a primary tumor.

Carcinosis, or carcinomatosis, is disseminated cancer, forms of metastasis, whether used generally or in specific patterns of spread.

Leptomeningeal cancer is a rare complication of cancer in which the disease spreads from the original tumor site to the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord, causing them to become inflamed. The term leptomeningeal describes the thin meninges, the arachnoid and the pia mater, between which the cerebrospinal fluid is located. The disorder was originally reported by Eberth in 1870.

Cancer can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy and synthetic lethality. The choice of therapy depends upon the location and grade of the tumor and the stage of the disease, as well as the general state of the patient. Cancer_genome_sequencing helps in determining which cancer the patient exactly has for determining the best therapy for the cancer. A number of experimental cancer treatments are also under development. Under current estimates, two in five people will have cancer at some point in their lifetime.

Cancer pain can be caused by pressure on, or chemical stimulation of, specialised pain-signalling nerve endings called nociceptors, or by damage or illness affecting nerve fibers themselves.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is intraperitoneal dissemination (carcinosis) of any form of cancer that does not originate from the peritoneum itself. PC is most commonly seen in abdominopelvic malignancies. Computed tomography (CT) is particularly important for detailed preoperative assessment and evaluation of the radiological Peritoneal Cancer Index (PCI). The imaging findings vary from simple ascites to multifocal discrete nodules and infiltrative peritoneal masses. Various tumours and tumour like conditions can mimic PC. A systematic analysis of CT imaging features is helpful to narrow down the differential diagnosis, staging and effectively guiding the patient management.

References

↑ Bruce DM, Heys SD, Eremin O (February 1996). "Lymphangitis carcinomatosa: a literature review". J R Coll Surg Edinb. 41 (1): 7–13. PMID 8930034.
1 2 3 McKean, Sylvia; Jacobson, FL (2012). Principles and practice of hospital medicine: Chapter 108: Advanced Cardiothoracic Imaging. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780071603898.
↑ Doyle L. (August 1989). "Gabriel Andral (1797–1876) and the first reports of lymphangitis carcinomatosa". J R Soc Med. 82 (8): 491–3. doi:10.1177/014107688908200814. PMC 1292257 . PMID 2674433.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Bruce-1] Bruce DM, Heys SD, Eremin O (February 1996). "Lymphangitis carcinomatosa: a literature review". J R Coll Surg Edinb. 41 (1): 7–13. PMID 8930034.

[HospitalMedicine-2] 1 2 3 McKean, Sylvia; Jacobson, FL (2012). Principles and practice of hospital medicine: Chapter 108: Advanced Cardiothoracic Imaging. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780071603898.

[Doyle-3] Doyle L. (August 1989). "Gabriel Andral (1797–1876) and the first reports of lymphangitis carcinomatosa". J R Soc Med. 82 (8): 491–3. doi:10.1177/014107688908200814. PMC 1292257 . PMID 2674433.