What is a cancerous tumor? A 29-year-old woman from Dallas, Texas who kept gaining weight in her stomach no matter how much she dieted and exercised learned last month that she actually had a 17 lb. cancerous tumor growing in her abdomen.
What is a cancerous tumor?
A tumor can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread. Some types of cancer do not form a tumor. These include leukemias, most types of lymphoma, and myeloma.
Sometimes this orderly process breaks down, and abnormal or damaged cells grow and multiply when they shouldn’t. These cells may form tumors, which are lumps of tissue. Tumors can be cancerous or not cancerous (benign).
Cancerous tumors spread into, or invade, nearby tissues and can travel to distant places in the body to form new tumors (a process called metastasis). Cancerous tumors may also be called malignant tumors. Many cancers form solid tumors, but cancers of the blood, such as leukemias, generally do not.
Benign tumors do not spread into, or invade, nearby tissues. When removed, benign tumors usually don’t grow back, whereas cancerous tumors sometimes do. Benign tumors can sometimes be quite large, however. Some can cause serious symptoms or be life threatening, such as benign tumors in the brain.
Woman, 29, who kept gaining weight in her stomach despite diet discovers she has a 17 lb. TUMOR
Amanda Shoultz first started noticing that her stomach was getting bigger at the beginning of 2021 — as as the months went by, it continued to grow, even as she cut dairy, gluten, and meat from her diet.
Tests came back normal, too, until last month when a gastroenterologist performed a CT scan and discovered a 33 cm. tumor, which was removed two days later — leaving her light enough that she’s now trying to put weight back on.
Shocking: A woman from Dallas, Texas who kept gaining weight in her stomach learned last month that she actually had a 17 lb. cancerous tumor growing in her abdomen
Unexpected: Amanda Shoultz, 29, first started noticing that her stomach was getting bigger at the beginning of 2021, but dieting and exercising didn’t help
Shoultz told WFAA that she first noticed her stomach changing in January, but assumed her metabolism was slowing down and her body was changing with age.
‘I had noticed I was slowly starting to gain weight over the years, but I just thought it was part of getting older,’ she said. ‘But this, my stomach almost looked like I was bloated all the time.’
She upped her diet and exercise regimen in an effort to drop the pounds, but found no success.
‘I started working out more. I was dieting more and, oddly enough, I was losing weight but I was gaining inches in my stomach,’ she told Good Morning America. ‘For the longest time, I thought, “Oh, I just must gain weight in my stomach.”‘
Shoultz was responsible about her health, making an appointment with her doctor for her annual checkup in February.
Her blood work came back normal, but she was shocked by how much she weighed.
Found it: In September, a CT scan revealed a 33 cm. tumor in her abdomen
Health scare: It was cancerous and had formed around her right kidney and adrenal gland — which all needed to be removed
‘I remember telling her, “The next time you see me I’m going to be 10 lbs. lighter,”‘ she said. ‘I just assumed it was my fault. That I had done something wrong.’
She continued to work at shedding pounds, trying different diets to find one that worked. She gave up dairy, then gluten, then meat, all with no impact on her waistline.
But while she felt no pain, her stomach continued to grow, and also became ‘hard as a rock.’
‘I knew that something was wrong because I’ve always had a hard time gaining weight,’ said Shoultz. ‘When I was getting so large in my abdomen and I couldn’t control it, that’s when I knew something was off.’
So in August, Schoultz went to see a gastroenterologist, who ran several tests and sent her for a CT scan.
That’s how she learned she had a 33 cm. tumor in her abdomen, which had formed around her right kidney and adrenal gland.
Wow! Fortunately, the cancer hadn’t spread — but the tumor alone weighed a whopping 17 lbs.
‘I was in so much shock that I wasn’t processing anything. It was very eye-opening,’ she said
‘Life throws us curveballs — and this one hit me straight in the face,’ she added on Instagram
The doctor diagnosed her with liposarcoma, a rare type of cancer that develops in fatty tissue and can show up anywhere in the body but is common in the abdomen.
‘I was in so much shock that I wasn’t processing anything. It was very eye-opening,’ she said.
‘Life throws us curveballs — and this one hit me straight in the face,’ she added on Instagram.
She quickly underwent surgery at Baylor University Medical Center to remove the tumor, as well as one kidney and part of her adrenal gland.
Fortunately, the cancer hadn’t spread — but the tumor alone weighed a whopping 17 lbs.
Lessons: Now Schoultz, who works in healthcare marketing at the hospital where her surgery was performed, is urging others to listen to their gut
‘Listen to your body because no one knows it better than you,’ Shoultz said. ‘If all the tests are coming back fine and you still see changes in your body — go to your doctor’
‘When I woke up, and they told me it weighed that much, I remember being like, I think I misheard you because of the medication I’m on,’ she recalled. ‘That’s massive.’
But with the tumor — which weighed about as much as a seven-month-old baby — removed, Schoultz’s stomach went back to normal.
Now Schoultz, who works in healthcare marketing at the hospital where her surgery was performed, is urging others to listen to their gut — figuratively, that is.
‘Listen to your body because no one knows it better than you,’ Shoultz said. ‘If all the tests are coming back fine and you still see changes in your body — go to your doctor.
‘We preach it at the hospital, don’t die of doubt,’ she went on. ‘No one else is going to need to fight for you, so fight for yourself and find a care team that is going to care for you through the journey.’
What is a benign tumor?
Benign tumors aren’t cancerous. They won’t invade surrounding tissue or spread elsewhere.
Even so, they can cause serious problems when they grow near vital organs, press on a nerve, or restrict blood flow. Benign tumors usually respond well to treatment.
The most common types of benign tumors include the following:
Adenomas
Adenomas, or polyps, develop in glandlike cells in epithelial tissue, a thin layer of tissue covering glands, organs, and other structures.
Treatment depends on location and size. Some colon polyps are adenomas and should be removed in case they become malignant.
Fibroids
Fibroids grow in fibrous tissue. Uterine fibroids are common, affecting 20 to 80 percentTrusted Source of women by age 50. They don’t necessarily need treatment. If they’re causing pain or other problems, a doctor can surgically remove them.
Hemangiomas
Hemangiomas are a type of tumor that’s made up of extra blood vessels. They’re the most common tumors in children. They tend to occur more often on the skin and liver.
On the skin, a hemangioma may initially appear to be a red birthmark. Then, over time, it will start to form a red lump.
Although they should be monitored, hemangiomas typically don’t cause problems and usually fade away without treatment.
Lipomas
Lipomas are slow-growing tumors that form in fatty tissue under the skin. They can occur anywhere, but particularly the neck, shoulders, armpits, or trunk.
They’re most common between the ages of 40 and 60. Treatment isn’t always necessary, but you can have them removed if they bother you.
What’s a premalignant tumor?
Benign tumors don’t necessarily turn into malignant tumors. Some have the potential, though, to become cancerous if abnormal cells continue to change and divide uncontrollably.
These terms describe some unusual characteristics of potentially premalignant tumors:
- Hyperplasia. Normal-looking cells are reproducing faster than normal.
- Atypia. Cells appear slightly abnormal.
- Metaplasia. Cells look normal but aren’t the type of cells usually found in this area of the body.
Since it’s difficult to know which tumors will progress, the following types of masses must be carefully monitored or treated:
- Dysplasia. Cells appear abnormal, are reproducing faster than normal, and aren’t arranged normally.
- Carcinoma in situ. Cells are extremely abnormal but haven’t yet invaded nearby tissue. This is sometimes called “stage 0” cancer.
Colon polyps, for example, are often precancerous. Even though it can take 10 or more years to develop into cancer, they’re usually removed as a precaution.
What’s a malignant tumor?
Malignant tumors are cancerous.
Our bodies constantly produce new cells to replace old ones. Sometimes, DNA gets damaged in the process, so new cells develop abnormally. Instead of dying off, they continue to multiply faster than the immune system can handle, forming a tumor.
Cancer cells can break away from tumors and travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to other parts of the body.
Are Cancerous tumors painful?
Cancer lumps usually don’t hurt. If you have one that doesn’t go away or grows, see your doctor. Night sweats. In middle-aged women, it can be a symptom of menopause, but it’s also a symptom of cancer or an infection.
Play it smart when you notice anything that could be a serious health problem, like cancer. Talk to your doctor and get it checked out. In general, disease is easier to treat when you spot it early.
Cancer Signals in Both Men and Women
Appetite loss. Many conditions, from depression to the flu, can make you feel less hungry. Cancer can have this effect by changing your metabolism, the way your body turns food into energy.
Stomach, pancreatic, colon, and ovarian cancers also can put pressure on your stomach and make you feel too full to eat.
Blood in the stool. Cancers can bleed, but so can a bunch of other things, like ulcers, hemorrhoids, infections, or a sore. When you see red in your poop, the blood is often from somewhere in your GI tract, meaning your esophagus, stomach, or intestines.
One way to tell where the blood is coming from is by how light or dark it looks. Bright red could mean the bleeding is in your rectum or the end of your intestines. A darker color means it may be from higher up, like a stomach ulcer.
No matter what the cause, blood in your stool needs to be checked out. You may need a colonoscopy or other tests to find the problem.
Blood in the urine. When it shows up in your pee, blood could be a warning sign of a problem in your urinary tract. Kidney or bladder cancer can cause this symptom, but it could also be due to an infection, kidney stones, or kidney disease.
Cough that doesn’t go away. A cold or the flu can make you hack away, but it’s also a potential symptom of lung cancer, along with red flags like chest pain, weight loss, hoarseness, fatigue, and shortness of breath. See your doctor if you can’t seem to shake it, especially if you’re a smoker.
Extreme fatigue. It’s one of the most common cancer symptoms. We’re not talking about a normal type of tiredness here — it’s exhaustion that doesn’t go away. If changing your activity level or getting more sleep doesn’t make you perk up, see your doctor.
Cancer fevers often rise and fall during the day, and sometimes they peak at the same time. See your doctor if you have a temperature of over 100.5 degrees F that lasts for more than a few days.
Lump in the neck. It could be an infection, but it’s also an early warning of mouth, throat, thyroid, and voice box (larynx) cancers.
Cancer lumps usually don’t hurt. If you have one that doesn’t go away or grows, see your doctor.
Night sweats. In middle-aged women, it can be a symptom of menopause, but it’s also a symptom of cancer or an infection.
Skin changes. A telltale sign of skin cancer is a growth that starts to look different or a sore that doesn’t heal. See a dermatologist for any spot that:
- Gets bigger or thicker
- Changes color
- Has an oddly shaped border
- Is bigger than a pencil eraser
- Crusts or scabs over and doesn’t heal
Swollen lymph nodes. Lumps in the side of your neck are most likely from strep throat or another infection. Less often, cancers like lymphoma or leukemia can make the lymph nodes swell up.
Breast cancer that has spread can cause swelling in lymph nodes under the arms. If the swelling doesn’t go away in a week or so, have your doctor take a look.
Trouble swallowing. A feeling like there’s a lump in your throat is a common symptom of heartburn. Less often, when you find it hard to swallow, it can signal cancer of the esophagus. If the feeling doesn’t let up or it gets worse, see your doctor.
Shed pounds without trying. As many as 2 of 5 people who are diagnosed with cancer have lost weight. There’s no obvious cause. Get any unexplained weight loss checked out.
Cancer Symptoms in Men
Blood in urine or semen. A pink, brown, or red tinge to your pee or semen is usually nothing to panic over. Infections, kidney stones, injuries, and noncancerous prostate growth can all cause bleeding.
Lump in the testicle. A painless one is a possible warning sign of testicular cancer. Yet the bump could also be from an injury, fluid buildup, or a hernia. It’s hard to tell the cause from your symptoms alone, so go to your doctor for an exam.
Pain during ejaculation or urination. If it hurts when you pee or have an orgasm, you may have an infection or swelling of your prostate gland or urethra. There’s a chance that these symptoms might be because of prostate cancer. If the pain doesn’t improve, have your doctor take a look.
Cancer Symptoms in Women
Breast lump or change. Although it’s a hallmark symptom of breast cancer, most lumps aren’t cancer. They’re often fluid-filled cysts or noncancerous tumors.
Still, see your doctor right away if you find any new or changing growths in your breasts, just to make sure.
Also get these changes checked out:
- Redness or scaling of the skin over the breast
- Breast pain
- Nipple changes
- Lump under your arm
- Fluid that isn’t breast milk leaking from the nipple
Bleeding between periods or after menopause. Bleeding from the vagina during women’s reproductive years is usually their monthly period. When it happens after menopause or outside of normal periods, cervical or endometrial cancer is a possibility. Call your doctor if you have any bleeding that’s unusual for you.
This post first appeared on Daily mail
