[Sportschosun Reporter Jang Jong-ho] A woman in her 50s, identified as A, had felt for several months that her lower abdomen was unusually protruding. Her weight had not increased much, but her stomach felt hard and bloated.
At first, she brushed it off, thinking, "I must be gaining weight before menopause." But even though she was eating less, she quickly felt full, a sign of early satiety, and the waistband of her pants suddenly became tight. After repeatedly taking digestive medicine, she eventually went to the hospital one day when her abdomen felt tense and she had trouble breathing.
Tests confirmed ascites, or fluid buildup in the abdomen, and further examinations led to a diagnosis of Peritoneal Carcinoma.
Like A, many people assume that frequent bloating and indigestion are caused by stress and expect the symptoms to improve in a few days. However, if you feel full quickly, have persistent abdominal discomfort regardless of how much you eat, or experience repeated gas-like discomfort for several weeks, it is difficult to dismiss it as a simple digestive problem. In rare cases, these symptoms can be an early sign of Peritoneal Carcinoma.
The peritoneum is a thin membrane that broadly surrounds abdominal organs such as the stomach, intestines, uterus, and bladder. It acts as a lubricant, allowing the organs to move smoothly without sticking together. Peritoneal Carcinoma is a cancer that develops in this membrane. In particular, primary peritoneal carcinoma is a disease that arises in the peritoneum itself, even when there is no obvious tumor in the ovaries or only minimal changes are present.
One of the biggest characteristics of Peritoneal Carcinoma is that its symptoms feel far too common. Frequent bloating, feeling full easily after meals, gas-like discomfort, constipation or diarrhea, loss of appetite, and unexplained weight changes are all symptoms that anyone may experience in daily life.
For that reason, most people do not recognize them as signs of disease and simply let them pass. But when assessing Peritoneal Carcinoma, the key is not the type of symptom, but how long and how often it persists. If the symptoms keep recurring and do not go away over time, they should be considered a possible signal from the body.
Peritoneal Carcinoma is known to have causes similar to those of Ovarian cancer, and the risk may increase in people with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations. The disease can also develop even after both ovaries have been removed for preventive reasons or to treat benign conditions. This is explained by the fact that the peritoneum and ovaries share a similar embryological origin.
For diagnosis, doctors evaluate the condition inside the abdominal cavity through imaging tests such as Ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), along with tumor marker tests. A definitive diagnosis is made through surgery. The core of treatment is to remove as much cancer tissue as possible through surgery and then combine it with chemotherapy. The extent of tumor removal directly affects treatment outcomes. Because the treatment plan varies depending on the patient's condition and the stage of the disease, it is necessary to decide after thorough consultation with medical staff.
Professor Yu Dae-gwang of the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital said, "Because the early symptoms of Peritoneal Carcinoma are so common, such as indigestion and abdominal bloating, patients often find it difficult to suspect the disease on their own." He added, "With recent advances in robotic surgery, the joints of robotic surgical instruments make it possible to operate on lesions in deeper and more dangerous areas. Surgery can now be performed through just one or two small openings in the abdomen, allowing for faster recovery after the operation. In particular, when Peritoneal Carcinoma has spread to the liver, robotic liver resection enables precise and safe removal."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
