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Re: Do endometriomas really turn cancerous?
From: Brune (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Sun Jun 30 01:50:26 2002
At Sat, 29 Jun 2002, Ana wrote:
>
>In response to the person who wrote "So instead of a 1% chance of gettin it, your chance is about 0.7%. Big deal.". I will take that extra 0.3% chance of not getting cancer any day.
>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>From: anonymous@obgyn.net
>Sent: Friday, June 28, 2002 2:03 PM
>To: Multiple recipients of list ENDO
>Subject: Re: Do endometriomas really turn cancerous?
>Hi-Hey thanks for your replies re the potential of endo "transitioning" into cancer. The reason I asked is that my gyn is scared that the complex cyst is possibly 'not endo". The gyn/onc that I saw was much more sure it was endo (by the resistive index of the TVU). I tell you, I avoid hospitals like the plague as I am an RN who has worked in the ICU for many years. I know this sounds terrible,but I feel that the risk of surgery itself is not small. OF COURSE if they said "NOW you head in we think there's a reasonable chance it's cancer,I would go in straightaway. " But they are saying TAH/BSO "just in case but the chance is very small." I had a laparoscopy which in which the ovary wasn't visualized due to the masssive amount of endo. I had a difficult time just with the laparoscopy.,in no small part due to the fact that I was fluid overloaded from IV fluids and went into urinary retention. In short, I had a case of mild R heart failure from the anesthesia folks inattentiveness. The nurse told me they did 68 cases that day-I'm venting, but this is the grim reality of the medical field and I do wish to avoid any similar scenario unless of course there is major concern. Any feedback to this ridiculously lenghty note is appreciated.2002, Suzanne wrote:
>>
>>No, they do not. You can leave them alone (though you run the risk of
>>them rupturing, which is painful), or have them treated. But the cells
>>that make up endometriomas are NOT cancer cells.
>>
>>However, there are reports about a higher incidence of ovarian cancer in
>>people with endo. We don't know enough about either endo or cancer to
>>know why. It seems probable that the answer lies in the immune system
>>and its inability to "turn off" unwanted cell growth. In any event,
>>this means that those of us with endo should be aware of this risk, and
>>should have any suspicious gynecological conditions checked out (which
>>is kind of hard with endo, when you rarely feel "normal!"). It's also a
>>good case for taking BCPs, which lower the risk of ovarian cancer
>>substantially (but, of course, cause other problems for some women). B t
>>the actual masses on your ovaries are not going to "convert" to cancer.
>
>>The above answer is not entirely correct.Yes , the masses can become ca cerous, but it is so rare it's not worth worrying about. As far as BCP p lls lowering the risk of ovarian cancer, be careful of your interpretati n of statistics. It reportedly lowers your risk by 30%, but it's a low r sk disease to begin with. So instead of a 1% chance of getting it, your hance is about 0.7%. Big deal.
>
>>At Thu, 27 Jun 2002, Brune wrote:
>>>
>>>I'd like to hear from anyone re my question: I 've heard and read mixed
>>>reports on whether endometriomas transition into a cancerous mass. Has
>>>anyone
>>>had this happen or has anyone heard any really difinitive answers.?
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