Malignant abdominal rocks: Where do they come from?

Abstract

For the radiologist, calcifications in an abdominal malignancy raise questions of both diagnostic and prognostic significance. Although certain cancers are well known to calcify, such as colorectal and ovarian, malignant abdominal calcifications actually arise from a wide variety of epithelial, mesenchymal, lymphoid, or germ cell neoplasms. The pathophysiology of calcification in abdominal malignancies is heterogeneous and incompletely understood. Calcifications may present primarily, in untreated tumors, or develop during treatment; the latter can occur in variable clinical settings. A basic understanding of the varied pathogenic etiology can assist the radiologist in assessing disease status. By presenting an assortment of calcified abdominal malignancies on computed tomography in varied clinical settings, we aim not only to inform the differential diagnosis, but also to clarify the prognosis of calcifications in abdominal malignancies. © 2013 International Cancer Imaging Society.