Whats the difference between an ovarian cyst and ovarian cancer?
Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at
10:26 pm
My sister has an ‘ovarian cyst’ 15 cm i n width….. The average cyst rarely exceeds 5 cm…… can a cyst turn into cancer?
Filed under: Ovarian Cyst
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Ovarian cyst is:
An ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac in the ovary. Many cysts are completely normal. These are called functional cysts. They occur as a result of ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary). Functional cysts normally shrink over time, usually in about 1 to 3 months. If you have a functional cyst, your doctor may want to check you again in 1 to 3 months to make sure the cyst has gotten smaller. In certain cases, your doctor may want you to take birth control pills so you won’t ovulate. If you don’t ovulate, you won’t form cysts.
If you are menopausal and are not having periods, you shouldn’t form functional cysts. If you do have a cyst, your doctor will probably want you to have a sonogram so he or she can look at the cyst. What your doctor decides to do after that depends on your age, the way the cyst looks on the sonogram and if you’re having symptoms such as pain, bloating, feeling full after eating just a little, and constipation.
Ovarian Cancer:
Recognizing ovarian cancer symptoms
Ovarian cancer often shows no obvious signs or symptoms until late in its development. Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer may include:
General abdominal discomfort and/or pain (gas, indigestion, pressure, swelling, bloating, cramps)
Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or frequent urination
Loss of appetite
Feeling of fullness even after a light meal
Weight gain or loss with no known reason
Abnormal bleeding from the vagina
These symptoms may be caused by ovarian cancer or by other, less serious conditions. It is important to check with a doctor about any of these symptoms.
To help find the cause of symptoms, a doctor evaluates a woman’s medical history. The doctor also performs a physical exam and orders diagnostic tests. Some exams and tests that may be useful are described below:
Pelvic exam includes feeling the uterus, vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, and rectum to find any abnormality in their shape or size. (A Pap test, a good test for cancer of the cervix, is often done along with the pelvic exam, but it is not a reliable way to find or diagnose ovarian cancer.)
Ultrasound refers to the use of high-frequency sound waves. These waves, which cannot be heard by humans, are aimed at the ovaries. The pattern of the echoes they produce creates a picture called a sonogram.
CA-125 assay is a blood test used to measure the level of CA-125, a tumor marker that is often found in higher-than-normal amounts in the blood of women with ovarian cancer.
Lower GI series, or barium enema, is a series of x-rays of the colon and rectum. The pictures are taken after the patient is given an enema with a white, chalky solution containing barium. The barium outlines the colon and rectum on the x-ray, making tumors or other abnormal areas easier to see.
CT (or CAT) scan is a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body created by a computer linked to an x-ray machine.
Biopsy is the removal of tissue for examination under a microscope. A pathologist studies the tissue to make a diagnosis. To obtain the tissue, the surgeon performs a laparotomy (an operation to open the abdomen). If cancer is suspected, the surgeon performs an oophorectomy (removal of the entire ovary). This is important because, if cancer is present, removing just a sample of tissue by cutting through the outer layer of the ovary could allow cancer cells to escape and cause the disease to spread.
If the diagnosis is ovarian cancer, the doctor will want to learn the stage (or extent) of disease. Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to what parts of the body. Staging may involve surgery, x-rays and other imaging procedures, and lab tests. Knowing the stage of the disease helps the doctor plan treatment.
It can – but most cysts are not cancer. I had a tumor the size of a grapefruit removed about 10 years ago