Ovarian Cysts: A Review

Cheryl Horlen, PharmD, BCPS

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

Referral to Gynecologic Oncologist

It is recommended that premenopausal women with a CA-125 level greater than 200 U/mL, ascites, evidence of abdominal or distant metastasis, or family history of breast or ovarian cancer in a first-degree relative be referred to a gynecologic oncologist for surgical evaluation. Postmenopausal women should be referred if they have a CA-125 level greater than 35 U/mL, ascites, nodular or fixed pelvic mass, evidence of abdominal or distant metastasis, or family history of breast or ovarian cancer in a first-degree relative.^[8] Should a malignancy be found, studies have shown that survival is improved when the malignancy is properly staged and aggressively debulked by a gynecologic oncologist.^[9,17,18]

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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.

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Ovarian Cysts: A Review

Referral to Gynecologic Oncologist

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