Patient's question:
Hello, doctor. One of my female colleagues has been experiencing abdominal pain and bloating for some time. She has been putting off getting a thorough examination. Recently, she had a gynecological examination. The examination results were very bad; she was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. The doctor said it was malignant, and the cyst is also somewhat large. My colleague feels very upset. Is it necessary to have surgery if it is malignant?Doctor's answer:
Hello. A small portion of ovarian tumors are malignant. Currently, there are no effective methods for diagnosis worldwide. Moreover, since early-stage ovarian cancer often shows no symptoms, it is frequently discovered incidentally during health check-ups. By the time symptoms appear, such as abdominal pain or bleeding, the disease has usually reached an advanced stage. Even in benign ovarian tumors, growth can lead to rupture and reversal, resulting in emergency surgery. Additionally, cysts can compress normal ovarian tissue, with some healthy tissue being completely destroyed by the tumor, leaving no remaining normal ovarian tissue. This inevitably damages ovarian function. Therefore, once an ovarian cyst is diagnosed, immediate surgery is necessary to preserve normal ovarian function and provide the possibility of early treatment.