is this cyst cancer?

[carrie933]

I have recently had an ultrasound scan and the results were that I had a bulky retroverted uterus with 2 posteria all fibroids  measuring 41mm and 23mm, I also had 2 cysts in my left ovary one simple one measuring29mm and another which was 34mm with an irregular outline and containing as focal area of wall thickening posteriorly - no adnexal mass or free fluid>- my GP did not seem unduly concerned by this but decided  to send me for  the CA125 blood test - which has come back raised at 212., beacuse this cyst my doctor wants me to be referred  to a gyn

I am worried sick my Gyn states it would be best to have a full hyst to make sure - I have 3 weeks to wait for the next appointment with the gyn but have been reading up on this and it appears that CA125 levels can be raised by  fibroids and benign cysts - of which i have both !

I am going out of my mind - has anyone else had rasied levels whereby they have not had ovarian cancer ?

Carrie

[melissam8484]

I will second the urging to get a gynecological oncologist if you are having surgery - and I also agree with getting a second opinion.  Obviously if there is a chance that you have cancer you want to do whatever is needed to find out for sure (and remove anything that may be cancerous).  But CA-125 can be elevated for many reasons and if you don't have cancer that doesn't mean they should remove a lot of healthy organs just because they're in there doing surgery.

I had a pretty large mass on my left ovary and just had it surgically removed - I'm 38 but don't plan on having children and initially my GYN was suggesting we remove the uterus and both ovaries while we were in there - just so they won't "cause trouble" later.  I did a lot of research and for somebody pre-menopausal there are some real risks to removing healthy ovaries - especially if you don't get on Hormone Replacement Therapy.  Happily after more conversation with my doctor I had the mass removed (no cancer!) and still have all my organs - so while it was scary (never had surgery before) it all worked out well.  

I'm not saying that it's always the right decision to keep all your organs, but I do encourage you to learn as much as you can and make an informed decision!  This site has a lot of hysterectomy info:  http://www.hystersisters.com/

[Plonanon]

Hi Carrie.

I am so sorry you are going through this stressful experience. I myself had cancer, so I can't tell you about having had an elevated CA-125 without cancer.

However, two thoughts come to mind. One is that you should have any surgery done by a gynecologic oncologist, NOT a gynecologist. Gynecologic oncologists are surgeons trained in both gynecology and oncology, and if there is even the slightest chance that it is cancer, a gynecologic oncologist should do your surgery.

Secondly, before having a hysterectomy I would talk to another doctor and get a second opinion. Perhaps that doctor should be a gynecologic oncologist. If fibroids are your main problem and the cysts are not malignant, then there are other, less drastic options for dealing with fibroids.