Tumors are shown on Jose Mendez's head
just
before they were surgically removed.
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Condition
is rare, treatable |
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"If
one member (of a family) is affected, there is a high likelihood for others
to be affected, said Wahl."
Jose Mendez of El Centro was successfully treated this summer for "turban tumors," which are rare, distinct and usually benign type of tumor. The condition received its name because it typically covers most of the scalp, like a turban. There are 20 other names for the tumor, one of which is the "tomato tumor." The first published report of the disorder was described in 1942, according to information from the plastic surgeon who removed Mendez's tumors, Dr. Keith Wahl, who practices in San Diego and Brawley. "It can be a hereditary disorder,,, in multiple generations of a family. If one member is affected, there is a high likelihood for others to be affected, as in the case of Mr. Mendez," said Wahl. In most cases, tumors like those of Mendez are solitary and vary in size between two and 60 millimeters, with the average being 12 millimeters, or about a half-inch. Ninety percent of those reported in medical literature occur in the scalp, head and head. Patients can have tumors on the trunk, legs and arms. Palms, soles and under arms typically go unaffected. |
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"The tumors are firm, smooth, nodular, pink and can be confused with cysts, skin cancers and neurofibromatosis, the so-called Van Recklinghausen of elephant man disease," says Wahl. Surgery is usually necessary when the tumors get infected, bleed and interfere with movement, although the growths are often removed for cosmetic purposes. Removal can be simple, involve skin grafts or require "total scalp excision." "Removal
can be simple, involve skin grafts or require total scalp excision."
Multiple tumor masses are commonly grouped together, rather than far apart, as with Mendez, who had them on various parts of his head, face and body. Unlike other similar disorders, like neurofibromatosis, the turban tumors continue to grow and erupt throughout a lifetime. Wahl recommends genetic counseling for individuals with such multiple facial and scalp tumors to determine whether the condition is hereditary. • >> back to Hat's off for Mendez story
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