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Borderline tumor with intraepithelial carcinoma

I had a cyst in my right ovary removed 4 weeks ago (4cm x 3.5cm x 3cm) and the pathalogical report came back saying it was a "mucinous borderline tumor of intestinal type, with focal intraepithelial carcinoma"  I have a surgery scheduled for Oct 24.  My doctor's first suggestion was to take the ovary and fallopian tube and to check the appendix to see if it requires removal and to do washings.  I am wondering though if that should be sufficient or if more should be removed?  I am also wondering what "intraepithelial carcinoma" means in regards to the severity of the diagnosis.  The doctor also told me that my bowel was extremely enlarged, can this be connected in any way?
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Avatar universal
Hi, it is hard to know if the other ovary is affected 100% without doing pathology and they do not do needle biopsy's of ovaries, so therefore they need to remove the ovary (unless a skilled gyn oncologist could make this evaluation visually during surgery).
I think it is worth whatever inconvenience there is to find a gyn onc for a consult and for the surgery.

Use the following link to locate one cloeset to you by entering your zip code.
http://www.wcn.org/interior.cfm?diseaseid=13&featureid=4

Not to scare you, but I would not fool around here and risk not ahving the best doctor qualified to do the surgey and evaluation.
Helpful - 0
315 tn?1230998574
If your through having all your kids and if it makes you feel safer I would have it all removed and play on the side of caution. My sister had a borderline mass as well and that was 3.5 years ago with no return or chemo needed.  Still she had everything removed that could be. Good luck~~~Joanne
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564735 tn?1263943526
I had a mucinous borderline tumor last year and I had a complete hysterectomy and both ovaries removed. I knew my childbearing years were over. I think you need to seriously discuss the removal/not removing your other ovary with Gyn. Oncologist. I wanted to reiterate that it is important that there is some kind of follow up...ct scans...CA-125 test and/or CEA test after your surgery. My OVC has recurred. It is very unusual for a borderline tumor to recur but it happened to me. I am lucky that I was having ct scans, CA-125 and CEA tests done every 3 mos. so the disease was caught very early and my prognosis is very good. I would recommend you discuss with your doctor about the follow up plan after surgery. Good Luck and I will keep you in my prayers. Julie
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Avatar universal
Thank you Casey06 for your reply.  There are no gyn/onc available where I live.  As it stands I have to travel 2 hours just to get to my gyno.  I actually phoned her office this morning to ask her about this and am still waiting for her to return my call.  I also have endo. and have had trouble with pre-cancer cells in my cervix which I received a LEEP for a couple of years ago, so I am thinking she will not have a problem taking the uterus.  Do you think it would be a bad decision to leave in the other ovary if it doesn't seem to be affected so I would not go into menopause?
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Avatar universal
If you are not concerned about child bearing, then the normal protocol is to have both ovaries and probably uterus out as well as appendix for mucinous borderline tumors (my gyn onc did all, plus node sampling and wash, which is the most conservative approach and recommended when childbearing is not a concern). Again, you should definately consult with a gyn onc, and understand the pros and cons and effects of surgical meneopause. In my opinion the peace of mind outweighed the menopause issues, which for me have been no real problem (but am using HRT patch for hot flashes). Good luck.

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408448 tn?1286883821
jenh53 is right.  You should see a gyn/onc and he/she should do the surgery.  Good luck to you.  Marie
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your replies.  I have already had a second opinion on the pathology by someone who specializes in gyn. cancers and he agreed with the diagnosis.  I am just wondering if with only taking the one ovary and tube I am being too conservative?  I am done having children so that is not a concern for me.
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Avatar universal
Hi, I was wondering if your doctor is a Gynecologic Oncologist? If he or she is not, it is very important that you get one to review your pathology and perform the second surgery. They are best equipped to review the pathology and decide course of action. I would think they would want to remove the suspect ovary and tube, take a good look at other ovary, remove appendix, sample oomentum and lymph nodes and do washings. A borderline tumor is a difficult diagnosis, so you should also ask for a second pathology reading, ideally from a cancer hospital familiar with borderline tumors. This is to assure it is borderline and not a different type. Also, you do not need to go to the cyst forum, because boderline tumors are considered a form of ovarian cancer and not just benign cysts. The good news is that they are very slow growing and generally do not reoccur and surgery is generally all that is needed. As my doctor said, if you have to have OC this is the best kind. But follow-up is generally needed for several years. So good luck and let us know how you make out.
Helpful - 0
295767 tn?1240188314
Hey there! I'm sorry that you are going through this right now. I also wanted to let you know that there is a cyst forum where your question might be better answered. If  I knew I would offer my advice, I'm just not clear on cysts. Best of luck to you, Deandra
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Avatar universal
I thought I should also add that the cyst was taken out through laparoscopic removal, but due to the fact that it was thought to be just a simple cyst when taken out it was NOT bagged when removed.
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