Omentum Cancer

What is omentum cancer?

Your omentum is the fatty tissue that starts in your stomach and drapes over your intestines. Rarely do cancer cells form in your omentum, developing into omentum tumors.

More often, other cancers may spread (metastasize) to your omentum. Your omentum contains energy cells that can cause cancer cells to multiply more quickly.

What does the omentum do?

Experts don’t fully understand the omentum’s function. But it extends to every organ in your abdomen. It drapes over areas of inflammation, acting as a bandage to promote healing when you have an infection or other health problem.

What are the types of omentum tumors?

Omentum tumors may include:

• Extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
• Leiomyosarcoma.
• Liposarcoma.
• Solitary fibrous tumors.

What cancers spread to the omentum?

Ovarian cancer and stomach cancer are more likely than other types of cancers to spread to your omentum.

Who might get omentum cancer?

Adults older than 50 are more likely to get omentum cancer. Some types of omentum tumors are slightly more common in men than in women.

How common is cancer of the omentum?

Cancer that starts in your omentum (primary omentum cancer) is extremely rare. Experts have reported only 42 cases.

What are the symptoms of omentum cancer?

Many people have no symptoms of omentum cancer. Others may notice a new, solid mass in their abdomen. The mass may feel tender to the touch or it may be painless.

You may also have:

• Abdominal pain.
• Constipation.
• Inability to eat a full meal (early satiety).
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Swollen abdomen (abdominal distention).
• Unexplained weight loss.

What causes omentum cancer?

Experts don’t know what causes omentum cancer. In general, cancer develops when your body’s cells don’t grow or break down as typical. Some factors that could affect your cancer risk include:

• Age: Your risk of developing certain cancers increases as you get older.
• Environment: Exposure to secondhand smoke or certain chemicals can increase risk.
• Family history: If one of your family members had cancer, you might be more likely to develop cancer.
• Genetics: Certain gene changes (mutations) that develop before you’re born can increase your cancer risk.
• Lifestyle: Using alcohol, eating a low-fiber diet and having a sedentary lifestyle can be risk factors for certain cancers.

How is omentum cancer diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider uses several tests to diagnose omentum cancer, including:

• CT scans, with or without contrast dye.
• MRIs.
• Ultrasounds.

Healthcare providers also use a process called staging to diagnose cancer:

• Stage I, II or III means cancer is in one part of your body. The higher the stage, the more cancer has spread to your surrounding tissues.
• Stage IV means cancer has spread to distant parts of your body.

For example, you may have stage I omentum cancer, or cancer cells located only in your omentum. Or you may have cancer cells in your omentum because you have stage II, III or IV ovarian or stomach cancer.

How is omentum cancer treated?

If you have omentum cancer, your healthcare provider will likely recommend surgery to remove it (omentectomy.) Your surgeon aims to remove as much of the tumor as possible while keeping healthy tissue intact.

Depending on the tumor type, you may also have:

• Chemotherapy: You take medicines that destroy fast-growing cells, including cancer cells.
• Radiation therapy: A radiologist targets beams of energy to shrink or destroy cancer cells.
• Perioperative hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC): Your healthcare provider heats chemotherapy drugs and places them in your abdomen to circulate for a short period.

If you have ovarian cancer that has spread to your omentum, you’ll likely have debulking surgery. During debulking surgery, the aim is to remove all visible cancer and tumors larger than 1 centimeter. Your surgeon may also remove your omentum completely.

Is cancer of the omentum curable?

Whether or not omentum cancer is curable depends on the size of the tumor and the cancer stage. Omentum tumors are often aggressive, meaning they’re more likely to return after treatment. Smaller tumors are less likely to come back.

How can I reduce my risk of omentum cancer?

There’s no guaranteed way to prevent any cancer, including omentum cancer. You can reduce your risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases by following a healthy lifestyle:

• Achieve and maintain an ideal weight for your age, sex and body type.
• Eat a nutritious diet with whole grains, lean protein, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats.
• Exercise regularly, incorporating both strength training and aerobic exercise.
• Limit your intake of processed meats and alcohol.
• Quit smoking.

What is the outlook for someone with omentum cancer?

The outlook for omentum cancer varies depending on the size of the tumor and the cancer stage. The earlier your healthcare provider diagnoses omentum cancer, the higher your chances of a good outcome. When you find and treat cancer in its early stages, it’s less likely to come back.

What questions should I ask my doctor?

If you have omentum cancer or think you could, you may want to ask your healthcare provider:

• What’s the most likely cause of my symptoms?
• What tests do I need to diagnose omentum cancer?
• What are the treatment options for omentum cancer?
• What are the chances that omentum cancer will come back after treatment?
• What lifestyle changes can I make to reduce my risk of cancer?

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Omentum cancer begins in the fatty tissue that starts in your stomach and extends to every organ in your abdomen. Primary omentum tumors are extremely rare. Ovarian or stomach cancers may spread to your omentum. If you have an omentum tumor, your healthcare provider will likely recommend surgery to remove it. The smaller the tumor and the earlier you treat it, the less likely it is to come back.