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New Complex Ovarian Cyst with strong family history of breast cancer
Hello everyone! About 3 months ago I had a very heavy period, passed a tennis ball sized blood clot and started to have a really sharp pain in my left side since then. The pain goes away about 1 week after my period ends and comes back about 2 weeks before it starts again. I finally went to the Dr after not having insurance for over 1 year once I passed the huge blood clot. I had US done and found out to have a 1.5cm complex cyst on the left ovary. My main concern is that my grandma had breast cancer at age 48, my mom has had cancer at age 42 and it came back this year at age 48. I have read a lot of articles that state that women with family history of breast cancer are at a high risk of getting ovarian cancer as well. My Dr had me take the CA 125 and I am waiting for the results. Is this test common when someone is first diagnosed with a complex cyst this small and for the first time having had one? Or is it possible Dr is doing this due to my family history? Should I be more worried because of my family history?
Please get BRCA tested. You have a very suspicious family history for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome. Go see a gyn/onc.
Wow! Thank you for taking the time to explain so much to me! I truly appreciate it! So far my Dr is my Family Dr that is looking into all of this. I guess my next step is to move on to my gynecologist...but I actually think that I will be contacting the Gyn/Onc that I know of nearby. God Bless you and your wife, I know she will do well.
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My wife was recently Dx with granulosa Cell cancer( GCT) Jan 2010 and I know what it feels like to not know what the next step is. Here is a quick overview.
Tests like sonograms, Cat scans and MRI's along with blood tests like CA125, Inhibin A&B, MIS and CEA are just used as a guides for the Dr's to help assist in making a diagnoses(Dx).
The blood test CA-125 is a test used by Dr's as a guide to determine if you have the most common form of ovarian cancer, approximately 80% of all ovarian cancers are epitheal ovarian cancer which is cancer of the cells on the surface of your ovary. Please keep in mind that CA-125 can be elevated if your menstruating and some other causes of inflamation..
There are other types of ovarian cancer that are hormone driven and depending which form a person has there will be excess symptoms of that specific hormone, i.e. excessive vag bleeding. This is the type my wife was Dx with granulosa cell ca. These group type are called sex cord -stromal tumors. These type of tumors have specific markes that the Dr's use just like ca-125 to aide in their dx of epitheal ovarian ca. They are Inhibin A&B and MIS. Please keep in mind if and only if you have a dx of these form of tumors there is a missconception that these tumors are always benign, which is completely false> They are just slow growing tumors as opposed to epitheal.
Unfortunately with any type of suspected ovarian mass/tumor/ suspicious cyst(s) surgery will be the only way for the Dr's too make a definitive Dx.
*****It is NOT recommended to biopsy any ovarian mass/tumor/suspicious cyst as it can rupture and seed the pelvis with cancer cells if that what it turns out to be. **********
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Since there is some suspicion I would immediately find a good GYN/Oncologist surgeon. I am not suggesting what you have is cancer but studies have shown that treatment of ovarian cancer by nongynecologic oncologists and by low volume surgeons is associated with suboptimal surgical management. I would reccomend going to a large tiertiary hopsital where they see large volumes of patients. This is not to make you worry even more but to make sure that the Dr who treats you has vast experience with diagnosing and treating various types of GYN / Onc issues if that is what it turns out to be. If the Dr wants to remove the cyst/mass via laprascopic procedure #####PLEASE make sure they have much experience with removing these INTACT! All too often I read posts from patients who say their Dr thought it was a cyst and removed it haphazardly causing a rupture and seeding of the pelvis with cancer cells, only to be found on pathology post removal. ######
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Next: From experience I would be asking for an MRI of the abdomen/pelvis ,MRI's are very precise when read by a **Radiologist that specializes in GYN/ONC**, My wife went to a radiology practice that does all types of MRI's and the Radiologist read her MRI as a fibroid. I then took her to Sloan Kettering in NYC(specializes in cancer only) to see a GYN/ONC surgeon who had the MRI repeated by a GYN/ONC Radiologist who called her DX to the tee which was confirmed after surgery.
There is some correlation between certain family history of breast and/or ovarian cancers , less than 10 percent of all breast cancers and less than 15 percent of ovarian cancers are associated with germline (inherited) genetic mutations. The majority of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers are associated with mutations in two genes, breast cancer type 1 and 2 susceptibility genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2)>
The best advice you see all over these posts is you have to be your own advocate, be aggresive and stay on top of your phycicians. Get copies of all your tests/results as you are entitled to them. Post with any other questions you have this site has some very knowledgeable people on it. I wish you all the best.
Kevin