Ovarian Cysts: A Review

Cheryl Horlen, PharmD, BCPS

US Pharmacist. 2010;35(7):1-4.

Management of Benign Ovarian Neoplasms

Owing to their typically high fat content, dermoid cysts tend to be more buoyant in the pelvis than other types of neoplasms; therefore, they are more likely to result in ovarian torsion.^[4] Although the rate of malignancy is low, dermoid cysts are usually removed surgically owing to the increased risk of ovarian torsion and cyst rupture.

Other benign ovarian neoplasms are often surgically removed as well, owing to the potential for malignant transformation with increasing age.^[4] For women desiring future fertility, conservative surgical treatment with cystectomy rather than oophorectomy may be possible in some cases.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Next Section

Cite this: Ovarian Cysts: A Review - Medscape - Jul 20, 2010.

Table 1. Types of Common Benign Ovarian Cysts
Functional Ovarian Cysts
Follicular cyst	Common in reproductive-age women; forms when a follicle fails to rupture; often resolves spontaneously
Corpus luteum cyst	Common in reproductive-age women; forms when corpus luteum fails to regress; may produce progesterone; may be hemorrhagic
Ovarian Cystic Neoplasms
Epithelial cell tumors	Derived from mesothelial cells lining peritoneal cavity and ovary Examples: serous cystadenoma, mucinous cystadenoma, endometrioid tumor
Germ cell tumors	Derived from germ cells; may contain ectoderm, mesoderm, or endoderm Example: mature cystic teratoma (dermoid cyst)
Sex cord–stromal tumors	Derived from sex cords and stroma of developing gonad; often cause feminizing/virilizing effects, depending on type of cells present Examples: granulosa-theca cell tumor, Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor

Source: References 3, 4.

Comments

Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.

Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.

processing....

Ovarian Cysts: A Review

Management of Benign Ovarian Neoplasms

Tables

References

Authors and Disclosures

Authors and Disclosures

Comments

Email This

Feedback