¿Qué es un hamartoma?

Un hamartoma es un crecimiento tumoral que es benigno. Por lo general, ocurre cuando una cantidad anormal de células normales se acumulan en tejido sano. Las células que comprenden el hamartoma mantienen su función, a diferencia de las células que crean tumores malignos. Tienen un potencial de crecimiento limitado, por lo tanto, la comunidad médica no los considera tumores. De hecho, en algunos casos, un Hamartoma puede disminuir o incluso desaparecer con el tiempo.

Hay muchos tipos diferentes de hamartomas; Sin embargo, es importante distinguirlos de una forma relacionada de tumor benigno llamado coristoma. Los coristomas también contienen tejido normal, pero generalmente se encuentran en ubicaciones que son anormales. Los hamartomas difieren según su ubicación. Por ejemplo, los hemangiomas, los hamartomas pulmonares y los hamartomas hipotalámicos se encuentran entre las condiciones más investigadas, cada una ubicada en un área diferente del cuerpo.

El hemangioma es una forma de hamartoma donde el crecimiento se compone de tejido vascular. Al nacer, elgrowth can appear quite large. It is usually not treated unless the facial structure of the affect person is threatened. Doctors sometimes fear that if the hamartoma is removed from the vascular tissue there could be uncontrollable and severe hemorrhaging. Thus, the patient could be left with worse deformities than if the hamartoma decreases in size on its own.

A pulmonary hamartoma or benign lung growth actually accounts for nearly 75% of all benign tumors that are found in the lungs. The growths are made up of tissues that are found in the lungs, such as fat, fibrous tissue, and epithelial tissue; yet, the growth is usually considered disorganized with little potential to become malignant. In general, persons affected with pulmonary hamartomas do not show any symptoms. However, it is important to diagnosis the condition accurately because other cancerous tumors can mimic these benign growths.

Individuals diagnosed with a pulmonary hamartoma have an excellent prognosis. In fact, it will not cause death. However, there are some related concerns that could cause problems. For example, if the individual smokes or if the growth has some abnormal feature, further biopsy or removal may be necessary. Also, they are more common in men than in women and usually present themselves between the ages of 45 and 50.

Hypothalamic hamartoma are found near the hypothalamus, near the base of the brain. Consequently, removal is extremely complicated. Una persona afectada con un hamartoma hipotalámico puede experimentar risas o convulsiones gelásticas, problemas de comportamiento, convulsiones de caída y pubertad temprana. The seizures can be very hard to control; however, anticonvulsants may prevent them from occurring. Research indicates that the growth near the hypothalamus may start only seven weeks after conception, while the child is still in utero.