Ovarian cysts are quite a common problem among women, but are usually harmless and go away on their own. This is why it’s so important for women to get regular pap tests so that cysts can be detected early on and monitored. There are a few different types of ovarian cysts which can develop in a woman, and even post menopausal women can have problems with ovarian cysts. While the post menopausal ovarian cysts are rarer than other types, they are considered as being the most dangerous and important to treat.
A sonogram will be used to determine whether a cyst is benign or malignant. If benign, the doctor will usually choose to leave it alone and monitor it and make sure that it shrinks and goes away on its own. Malignant cysts are those which are considered to be suspicious for cancer and which will be dealt with right away. Treatment must be decided on a case to case basis, as there are certain factors including symptoms experienced and age which will determine what treatment is most suitable.
Surgery is often required to remove suspicious cysts from the body and hopefully avoid the development of cancer. Doctors must act right away because if the cysts are malignant and are left they could develop into cancer at an alarming rate. In the most serious cases doctors may have to remove the entire ovary, and again it all depends on the particular situation and how large the cyst has become. In some women if the entire ovary has been destroyed by the cyst the doctor will go ahead and just remove the entire ovary.
This makes the surgery more invasive but ensures the best success. In the cases where doctors are just too late to start treatment and ovarian cancer has already developed, further surgery and treatment must be taken. The outcome of surgery for post menopausal ovarian cysts is different for each woman, but in most cases the surgery is completely successful. Systemic chemotherapy is often used to deal with ovarian cancer.
With this treatment, there are drugs injected through an IV or taken orally and which are best for cancers that have spread in the body. The biggest problem with chemotherapy is that while it works to kill cancer cells it can also damage some of the healthy cells which is why it’s often so hard for people to go through. There is also the radiation therapy which is a common choice of doctors for ovarian cancer. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and can be quite effective.
