Lipoma is a benign growth that only happens where there is fat. For there to be lipoma, there must be fat. On VERY rare occasion, it can become malignant known as liposarcoma characterized with rapid growing, hard and vascularized tissue in the body.
Except for cosmetic reason, lipoma under the skin (subcutaneous) is of little health concern.
Remember, lipoma can grow wherever there is fat. It is not surprising if found to grow internally as in the case of:
Retroperitoneal lipoma: Here, patient complains of abdominal swelling and pain. The diagnosis is often made with imaging studies.
Oesophageal lipoma: Here, the patient may find it difficult to swallow, vomit and regurgitate. This can be complicated with respiratory infection secondary to aspiration (breathing in food paritcles).
Duodenal (intestinal) lipoma: The patient present with signs of intestinal obstruction- nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, abdominal swelling and constipation
Breast lipoma: This usually occur in postmenopausal women. Do not get worried, it is not cancerous. However, your doctor will definitely want you to carry out some investigations to ascertain absence of cancer.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
This is classically surgical. Surgical options include:
Excision and biopsy
Liposuction
Dr. Adeyemo Olusola is a medical graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Nigeria along with certificate in advanced diploma in Principles of Nutrition, Management and Leadership, Dublin and Certificate in Global Health from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In addition to his numerous certifications, he is a certified Telemedicine Physician from Harvard Medical School, USA. He is an avid reader of books from different oases of life, expert in data analysis. “So many a time, I have seen people die avoidable death because of lack of knowledge or information, falling victim of fate. There is then a necessity laid on us to help arm our society to the teeth, as a healthy society cannot be detached from an informed one. Hence, there is need for healthgist.net. We hope you will have a wonderful stay on our website.”
