No staging was done at time of surgery for ovarian tumor

[dmakkn]

Should I worry because no staging was done at the time of my surgery to remove an ovarian mass.  The surgery was done in the evening and the pathologist that looked at it that night came back that the mass was a thecoma so my surgen did not do any staging.  The next day another pathologist looked at it and became worried as the tumor was intensely cellular and had somewhat disorganized arrangement of fibroblastic cells and mitotic figures (4 to 6) and multiple areas of punctate necrosis.  A hysterectomy was performed, the tumor as not attched to anything, only one ovary was involved and the pelvic wash did not show any cancer cells. My ca125 was at 44 pre-surgery and has gone to 18, 9, 7.6 over the last nine months.

[alanpvegas]

I think you're numbers are promising, but was this a Gynecologic Oncologist who did your surgery?  I find it *very* unsual and unprofessional if they didn't do any staging.  Not to mention dangerous.  Staging is an important part of overall treatment.  For example there is a big difference between Stage I and Stage II, not to mention there is A,B and C's in these ranges (except for IV).  I'd follow this up and keep records should you need to, ahem, take other action.  Find another gyn. onc. if you can or have them explain why staging was not done.

[rmarie]

Did any of your pathology reports say you had cancer?  You can go to a GYN/ONC with all your reports for a second opinion.  Were you given chemo, or did the CA 125 go down on it's own?  Surgery could be responsible for the 1st rise.  Your tumor is identified as benign, necrosis is dead tissue.  Talk to your doctor.

[dmakkn]

Thank for responding.  My slides went to four labs across the US each sending it on to another lab because they could not be sure and it was too close to say it was or was not cancer but MD Anderson came back and said it was a cellular fibroma which is not cancer and they said that I should be followed in a close manner. I am being seen every three months.

The orgional finding ( at surgery) was a benign tecoma which is not cancer thus the reason my doctor did not do staging.

[rmarie]

Without cancer, there is no staging.  Let them keep watching, and enjoy your life cancer free, you have a gift.  If I were you, I would never read another cancer site again, unless the diagnosis changed.  Marie