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Does it mean I had ovarian cancer and should I be worried?

HelzSG
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Hi I'm 37, I had a full hysterectomy, appendicetomy and removal of rugby ball sized ovarian cyst. A blood test showed prior to my op that there was a higher risk that I could have cancer but was advised that the test could not be relied upon fully. 4 weeks after surgery the biopsy results came back, they said that the cyst was cancerous, the cyst was fully contained, they had removed everything and were confident that they had removed all the cancerous tissue. They said the cancer was low grade and that I did not require any further treatment although they would keep an eye on me for the next 3 years. 

When I saw the doctor I was a bit taken back with the news as I thought it would be nothing therefore i didn't ask the right questions.

My questions are... Does this mean I had ovarian cancer, should I be satisfied with the doctors saying that they removed it all and should I be worried about my future health?

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    Hi and welcome.  I think you will find that no-one gets the all-clear straight away.  I think you will find it rather comforting to know that they are keeping an eye on your health and will be seeing you at regular intervals.  if you feel you need further answers perhaps you could write to your consultant and ask him for an explanation of your worries.  With best wishes.

  • Offline in reply to Pauline4

    Thank you Pauline4 that's good advice 

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    Hi, Sorry to hear about this.  I had a similar experience where they removed my ovary 5 years ago and didn't know what was on it.  Turned out it was a tumour!  You also need to ask your consultant what type of tumour it was, as there are different types of ovarian cancer and they all act differently.  I had a granulosa cell tumour, which is slow growing thankfully.  I think you need to get some more info from your consultant so that you know what you are dealing with.

     

    Good luck x

     

  • Offline in reply to Yorkie1

    Thanks for your advice, still waiting for all the info but getting there. 

     

    Helen 

  • Offline in reply to HelzSG

    Hi Helen, just seen your earlier posts and wondered if you had further info to confirm your diagnosis. Were you diagnosed with Granulosa Cell Tumour?

    GCT is considered slow growing and potentially a low grade cancer, but I just wanted to make sure that you are aware of the need for long term or basically life long follow up.

    You should ensure that you have inhibin a and inhibin b tested on a 6 monthly basis for at least 5 years and then annually for life. GCT has a 35-40% risk of recurrence, often more than 5 years after diagnosis. 

    I was diagnosed in 2007 and recurred in 2011 and again in 2012. My recurrence was picked up through my 6monthly inhibin tests.

    hope you are doing well

    best wishes, Linda

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