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- $Unique_ID{BRK00659}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{What is a Lipoma Tumor?}
- $Subject{lipoma fat adipose tumor tumors Skin Subcutaneous Tissue tissues
- cells adipose lump lumps bump bumps neoplasm neoplasms cancer cancers}
- $Volume{B-20}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
-
-
- What is a Lipoma Tumor?
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-
- QUESTION: On my recent visit to my doctor I discovered a soft, spongy lump on
- my shoulder blade. The doctor called it a lipoma tumor. He said they were
- generally benign, but this was sort of large. Can you tell me more about this
- condition? Just the word "tumor" terrifies me.
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-
- ANSWER: It is very apparent that you can do with some simple explanations to
- help deal with your anxiety. Let's start with the word "tumor." Doctors use
- this term to describe many types of growths which occur in the body, not all
- of which are cancerous. It's important to understand, therefore, that tumor
- does not mean cancer and merely means a swelling or new growth of tissue. If
- this growth is noncancerous, the tumor is labeled benign. Now let's look at
- the word "lipoma." Since many types of growths can occur within the body, we
- attempt to identify the kind of tissue that forms the tumor. If the tissue is
- made up of fat cells (adipose tissue), we give the tumor the name "lipoma, "
- just another word that signifies fat. In essence, a lipoma tumor is a small
- collection of fatty tissue which has created a lump or bump someplace in the
- body. For the most part, they are totally insignificant and never change into
- cancers or cancer-like growths. When they become too large and get in the way
- of some of our normal functions or they are in a place that makes them
- unsightly and cosmetically unacceptable, they can be removed surgically. At
- any rate, this is one of those times when the name of the condition sounds far
- worse than the condition in itself. Your physician was correct in reassuring
- you. Now with this explanation in hand, you can put all your fears to rest.
-
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-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
-