D

[thecips]

After much testing. 3 U/S  Ct Scan and colonoscopy last week. I am now having a D&C becuase of thick unterine.I am post menopausal and had bleeding back in April. Unterine lining is .10CM and I have 3CM septated cyst on one ovary that hasn't grown since April. I am having a gyn/onco do surgery.She has told me if all goes well I will go home sameday if not it depends what she finds.Is this normal for my problem. What else can she be looking for? And why would I need to be off 3 days from work.She feels I have a polpy that maybe causing the problem. Also should I be concerned that cyst has not gone away.
Does a think unterine means it is pre-cancer? It has been increasing every year.I also had blood work for tumor markers. Ca 125 & CEA normal  27.29 was 78 much higher than normal. Also had mammo which was normal.
Thanks so much in advance
Linda

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

A. It sounds like your doctor is going to do a D&C but she might also do a laparoscopy (belly button surgery using a telescope) to look at the cyst.  A thick lining of the uterus on ultrasound is a possible early indication of precancer.  Precancer usually takes up to 10 years to turn into cancer, so if you have been followed each year for this, it is much more likely you will not have cancer as there hasn’t been enough time for it to develop.  Your surgeon might want to do a very thorough exam while you are asleep so it won’t be painful.  If she feels something that is worrisome, she might do the laparoscopy at that time since you are already under anesthesia and there is only a very slight additional risk to do the laparoscopy. Sometimes it takes a few days to recover from the anesthesia.  

Polyps are almost always benign and that is good for you.  The cancer markers can be elevated for many benign conditions and not just cancer.  They are not specific.  When you go in for your preoperative exam, ask your doctor how likely it is she will do more surgery than just the D&C and if so, what she is thinking and how long each step might take to recover.  If she is telling you 3 days off work, it sounds like she thinks she might have to do the laparoscopy but doesn’t think anything more will be necessary. The fact that your oncologist  believes it is a polyp makes it seem that she feels the problem is most likely to be benign rather than cancer.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD