Carcinosis, or carcinomatosis, is disseminated

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, forms of

metastasis Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then ...

, whether used generally or in specific patterns of spread.

Usage

Carcinomatosis is often restricted to tumors of epithelial origin, adenocarcinomas, while sarcomatosis describes the dissemination of tumors of mesenchymal origin,

sarcoma A sarcoma is a malignant tumor, a type of cancer that arises from transformed cells of mesenchymal ( connective tissue) origin. Connective tissue is a broad term that includes bone, cartilage, fat, vascular, or hematopoietic tissues, and sar ...

Lung

Lymphangitic carcinomatosis

When most tumors metastasize to the lung, they form distinct nodules, but about 7% spread through the lymph vessels of the lung. They may impair breathing in several ways; the lung becomes stiffer; blood vessels traveling alongside the distended lymph vessels become compressed.

Miliary carcinosis

A pattern of multiple small nodular metastases has been described as miliary carcinosis which has a radiographic appearance similar to miliary tuberculosis.

Body cavities

Any potential space may be seeded with tumor cells that grow along surfaces, but which may not invade below the surfaces. In rare cases, the joint spaces are affected.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis

The lining of the abdominal cavity is a common site for surface dissemination.

Ovarian carcinoma Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different cel ...

s are common. Fluid produced by the cells can produce

ascites Ascites is the abnormal build-up of fluid in the abdomen. Technically, it is more than 25 ml of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, although volumes greater than one liter may occur. Symptoms may include increased abdominal size, increased weight, a ...

which is typical in carcinomatosis, but less common in peritoneal sarcomatosis. Fluid can be serous as seen in

primary peritoneal carcinoma Primary peritoneal cancer or carcinoma is also known as serous surface papillary carcinoma, primary peritoneal carcinoma, extra-ovarian serous carcinoma, primary serous papillary carcinoma, and psammomacarcinoma. It was historically classified und ...

or mucinous such as found in

pseudomyxoma peritonei Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a clinical condition caused by cancerous cells (mucinous adenocarcinoma) that produce abundant mucin or gelatinous ascites. The tumors cause fibrosis of tissues and impede digestion or organ function, and if left unt ...

which is typically a tumor derived from the appendix.

Pleural carcinosis

Pleural carcinosis is associated with malignant

pleural effusion A pleural effusion is accumulation of excessive fluid in the pleural space, the potential space that surrounds each lung. Under normal conditions, pleural fluid is secreted by the parietal pleural capillaries at a rate of 0.6 millilitre per k ...

and poor prognosis.

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis

The meningeal covering of the

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all p ...

may be the site of tumor growth.

Breast cancer 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, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

and melanoma are the most common tumors.

Treatment

Colorectal cancer patients with peritoneal involvement can be treated with Oxaliplatin- or Irinotecan-based chemotherapy. Such treatment is not expected to be curative, but can extend the lives of patients.Joerg O W Pelz, Terence C. Chua, Jesus Esquivel, et al. BMC Cancer, Volume 10, Published - Dec 22 2010. https://jhu.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/evaluation-of-best-supportive-care-and-systemic-chemotherapy-as-t-3 Some patients may be cured through

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy Intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemoperfusion (HIPEC or IPHC) is a type of hyperthermia therapy used in combination with surgery in the treatment of advanced abdominal cancers. In this procedure, warmed anti-cancer medications are infused and circul ...

, but the procedure entails a high degree of risk for morbidity or death.

References

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External links

Carcinosis
entry in the public domain NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms Oncology