Adnexal Tumor Treatment
The normal functioning ovary produces a follicular cyst 6-7 times each year. In most cases, these functional cysts are self-limiting and resolve within the duration of a normal menstrual cycle. In rare situations, a cyst persists longer or becomes enlarged. At this point, it represents a pathological adnexal mass. An adnexal mass is a lump in tissue of the adnexal of uterus, usually in the ovary or fallopian tube. Adnexal masses can be benign or cancerous.
Adnexal tumors are growths that form on the organs and connective tissues around the uterus in women. Adnexal tumors are most often noncancerous (benign), but they can be cancerous (malignant). Since ovaries produce physiologic cysts in menstruating women, the likelihood of a benign process is higher in women of reproductive age. In contrast, the presence of an adnexal mass in prepubertal girls and postmenopausal women heightens the risk of a malignant neoplastic etiology.
Adnexal tumors occur in the:
- Ovaries
- Fallopian tubes
- Connective tissue around the ovaries or fallopian tubes
Symptoms:
The most common symptoms reported by women with ovarian cancer are pelvic or abdominal pain; increased abdominal size; bloating; urinary urgency, frequency, or incontinence; early satiety; difficulty eating; and weight loss. These vague symptoms are present for months in up to 93 percent of patients with ovarian cancer. Any of these symptoms occurring daily for more than two weeks, or with failure to respond to appropriate therapy warrant further evaluation.
Diagnosis:
The initial detection and evaluation of an adnexal mass requires a high index of suspicion, a thorough history and physical examination, and careful attention to subtle historical clues. Timely, appropriate laboratory and radiographic studies are required.
Transvaginal ultrasonography remains the standard for evaluation of adnexal masses.
Measurement of serum CA-125 is a useful test for ovarian malignancy in postmenopausal women with pelvic masses.
Treatment:
Surgical Removal using laparoscopy