About the Ovarian Cysts and the Risk of Cancer
November 25th, 2009 | by admin |Ovarian cysts usually appear in younger women, on one ovary or on both ovaries, but they can appear after the menopause as well. It is known that most of the cysts are benign, and have a low risk to turn into cancer. Although in the past the solution was surgery to remove the cyst, nowadays, in most of the cases monitoring of the cyst, using ultrasound scan and blood tests is possible.
It is known that the CA125 protein which can be found normally in the blood has an increased level in women with ovarian cancer. That’s why, the doctors may want to measure the level of CA125 in the blood if it is suspected a woman has ovarian cancer. But, it was seen that the level of CA125 can rise because of other factors too, like inflammation of the liver, pregnancy, pelvic or abdominal infection, and endometriosis.
When treating women past their menopause who have ovarian cysts, doctors are advised to monitor these women using the ultrasound scan and the CA125 test. However, this can vary, depending on the size of the cysts, what they look like on a scan and how they behave over time.
It is known that if there are present small cysts on one ovary, more than half of these cysts will disappear on their own in about 3 months. It is recommended that at 4 months after the cysts disappeared an ultrasound scan to be performed.
The peritoneum is a sheet of body tissue that lines the inside of the abdomen. It helps to protect the contents of the abdomen, and also produces a lubricating fluid that helps the organs to move smoothly inside the abdomen as we move around. When there appears a cancer of this tissue, we say we are dealing with primary peritoneal carcinoma.
It was seen that the primary peritoneal cancer behaves like the epithelial cancer, the most common type of ovarian cancer, that’s why, the treatment is very similar.
Especially when this disease is in its early stages, the symptoms are vague and hard to spot, and many of the symptoms are very similar to other conditions, which are much more common. It is important to know that this type of cancer can appear even if the ovaries were removed.
It is necessary for every woman to go periodically to the doctor and do tests, because in early stages of the disease the treatment is more effective.
For more info about ovarian cysts/ or even about ovarian cyst surgery please review this page http://www.ovarian-cysts-center.com/
Groshan Fabiola
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/about-the-ovarian-cysts-and-the-risk-of-cancer-134059.html
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2 Responses to “About the Ovarian Cysts and the Risk of Cancer”
By TNmommy on Nov 25, 2009 | Reply
Question about ovarian cysts/cancer?
I went to my ob/gyn back in June mainly due to pelvic pain I was having generally on my left side. It had also been 2 years since my last pap. My doctor did a pelvic exam and a pap and after asking me a series of questions about my symptoms told me that I probably had a cyst on my ovary. She did not order an ultrasound though. She put me on birth control pills and told me if it did not help to call her back. Well about a week later I got a phone call that my pap was abnormal (ASCUS positive for low risk HPV) so I went back in for a colposcopy. The results of the colposcopy were CIN 1. I go back in November for a re-colpo. However, I am still having pain on my left side. It will go away for a couple of weeks and then come right back. The most painful time is during my period. I called my doctor and told him and he said to try one more pack of birth control pills and if it didn’t help they would schedule more tests. My mom and my sister both have endometriosis. My mom had to have a complete hysterectomy when she was 22 due to her endometriosis. I am 25. I have been doing a lot of research and found out that your sigmoid colon runs very near your left ovary. So I thought maybe it could be diverticulosis. So I took some mild stool softners (that were not oh so mild!). I had major diarrhea that whole day (sorry if TMI). This made my left side hurt even more. Could it possibly be because when you have diarrhea it causes your colon to spasm and it rubbed against my cyst causing irritation? Also I had a c-section Jan 2008. Could I have developed adhesions causing my left side pain? Basically the only symptoms that I am having is left side pelvic pain (comes and goes.. sometimes it will hurt for 2 weeks sometimes it won’t hurt at all for 2 weeks) and mild lower back pain (not sure if the lower back pain is from PMS or the cyst). I do not have any pain during sex, frequent urination, full feeling.. etc. Should I be concerned about ovarian cancer? I’m just ready to get the ball rolling and get an ultrasound. Should the doctor have ordered one first of all in the first place? I was just wanting some personal opinions and maybe some people that experienced similar things. Thank you!
By Denisedds on Nov 25, 2009 | Reply
If you have had pelvic pain for over a year and have been to the doctor that many times and they have not ordered tests to find the cause of your pain, you need to find a new doctor. Trying to self-diagnose will not help you. It is not likely to be ovarian cancer, as you would have symptoms by now. The doctor should have done an ultrasound in the first place or at least within the first few months. There are several types of ovarian cysts and they cannot always be determined what kind they are on imagining. However, benign cysts will respond to birth control pills, but there is no way to know if they are unless you can see if they are shrinking. This requires imagining.
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I am a cancer registrar.