Fibroma is a painless benign tumor of a spherical shape, consisting of connective tissue. It is located both single and multiple nodes (fibromatosis). There are congenital fibromas, but more often appear with age. A child usually develops after the age of five years.
It is localized in children, as a rule, on the skin of the limbs and trunk, less often on the mucous membranes, in the internal organs and cavities. Reaching a large size, the tumor can disrupt the blood supply to neighboring organs, thereby disrupting their normal functioning. The tumor itself does not ulcerate, does not metastasize, but can sometimes become malignant.
The causes of fibroids in children are not fully understood. But experts agree that an important factor is hereditary predisposition. There are two types of fibroids: soft and hard.
The optimal method of treatment is the radical removal of the neoplasm, after which, as a rule, its histological examination is carried out. Single nodes after removal rarely give relapses.
Sometimes infants and young children have multiple fibroids, called fibromatosis, on different parts of the body. There are the following types of fibromatosis of infants: fibrous hamartoma, gingival fibromatosis, multiple juvenile hyaline fibromatosis, infantile digital fibromatosis, cervical fibromatosis.
Fibrous hamartoma in 19% of cases is found in children aged one year, in other cases at the age of two to four years, mainly in boys. It affects the limbs, inguinal region, buttocks, armpit. The nodes are yellow-grey. They are a three-component tumor: a fibrous component, mature adipose tissue and fragments of myxoid fork. Relapses are rare.
Gingival fibromatosis is a hereditary disease. It is extremely rare, usually in combination with other hereditary diseases with the same probability in both sexes. It is a tumor-like thickening of the gums. This tumor did not spontaneously regress. There are relapses.
Multiple juvenile hyaline fibromatosis affects the soft tissues of infants and infants, predominantly male. Localized on the back, knees, head, nose, ears. It is represented by white-gray subcutaneous nodules with a diameter of up to five centimeters.
Infantile digital fibromatosis is a disease that affects the tips of the feet, hands and fingers of infants, sometimes older children. Single, rarely multiple tumors are represented by dense nodes in the dermis with a diameter of two to three millimeters.
Fibromatosis of the neck is a rare disease when connective tissue replaces the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The cause may be heredity (family pathology) or a complication of rheumatism with damage to the neck. Knots with a diameter of several centimeters.
For children under the age of ten, the operation is performed under general anesthesia. At an older age, surgery can be performed under local anesthesia.
Fibroma of the lungs
Fibroma among all benign neoplasms of the lungs was recorded in 1-2% of cases. The disease affects with equal probability both the left and right lung. It is more common in men. Localization is usually peripheral.
The tumor is usually small, a few centimeters in size. However, it happens that the neoplasm grows to a huge size, occupying 50% of the chest cavity. Peripheral nodes are sometimes located on a narrow leg. Reliable data on the malignancy of pulmonary fibroids were not found.
Visually, the tumor is a whitish dense node with a smooth, even surface. The mucous membrane covering the fibroma may be ulcerated.
The causes of pulmonary fibroids are not fully understood. It is believed that one of the main factors is genetic predisposition. Many experts also argue that the following factors increase the likelihood of a benign tumor: smoking, viruses, mutations, poor ecology.
There are three stages in the development of benign neoplasms of the lungs: preclinical (asymptomatic) stage, initial clinical and severe clinical stage. At the last stage, the patient may experience chest pain, shortness of breath, pulmonary bleeding, impaired bronchial patency.
Treatment of pulmonary fibroids is exclusively surgical. Surgical intervention is advisable to be carried out as early as possible, which allows preventing malignancy of the tumor, avoiding the launch of irreversible processes, and performing the most sparing operation to remove it.