Ovarian serous cystadenoma, also (less precisely) known as serous cystadenoma, is the most common
ovarian
The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body ...
neoplasm
A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
, representing 20% of ovarian neoplasms, and is
benign
Malignancy () is the tendency of a medical condition to become progressively worse.
Malignancy is most familiar as a characterization of cancer. A ''malignant'' tumor contrasts with a non-cancerous benign tumor, ''benign'' tumor in that a malign ...
.
It has a very superficial resemblance to the most common type of
ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...
(
serous carcinoma
A serous tumour is a neoplasm that typically has papillary to solid formations of tumor cells with crowded nuclei, and which typically arises on the modified Mullerian-derived serous membranes that surround the ovaries in females. Such ovarian t ...
of the ovary) under the
microscope
A microscope () is a laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic means being invisibl ...
; however, (1) it is virtually impossible to mix-up with its malignant counterpart (serous carcinoma), and (2) does not share genetic traits of indeterminate serous tumours, also called ''serous borderline tumours'', that may transform into serous carcinoma.
Serous cystadenomas (of the ovary) are not related to
serous cystadenomas of the pancreas, i.e. the presence of an ovarian ''or'' pancreatic one does ''not'' suggest an increased risk for the other one.
Diagnostic Procedures includes initially ultrasound or colour doppler study to know about size and nature of mass and sometimes CECT. Blood investigation includes
CA-125
Mucin-16 (MUC-16) also known as Ovarian cancer-related tumor marker CA125 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''MUC16'' gene. MUC-16 is a member of the mucin family glycoproteins. MUC-16 has found application as a tumor marker or biom ...
level for screening and further CEA, beta
hCG levels, AFP, CA19-9, LDH level to confirm diagnosis. And before going to surgery routine investigation to be done.
Diagnosis
Serous cystadenomas are diagnosed by
histomorphologic examination, by
pathologist
Pathology is the study of the causal, causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when us ...
s.
Grossly, they are, usually, small unilocular cysts that contain clear, straw-coloured fluid. However, they may sometimes be multilocular.
Microscopically
Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view objects and areas of objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of micr ...
, the cyst lining consists of a
simple epithelium
Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercellula ...
, whose cells may be either:
*be columnar and tall and contain
cilia
The cilium, plural cilia (), is a membrane-bound organelle found on most types of eukaryotic cell, and certain microorganisms known as ciliates. Cilia are absent in bacteria and archaea. The cilium has the shape of a slender threadlike projecti ...
, resembling normal tubal epithelium
*be cuboidal and have no cilia, resembling ovarian surface epithelium
Microscopical images
File:Ovarian serous cystadenoma - alt -- low mag.jpg
File:Ovarian serous cystadenoma -- intermed mag.jpg
File:Ovarian serous cystadenoma - alt -- intermed mag.jpg
File:Ovarian serous cystadenoma - alt -- high mag.jpg
File:Ovarian serous cystadenoma -- high mag.jpg
File:Ovarian serous cystadenoma -- very high mag.jpg
File:Ovarian serous cystadenoma -- extremely high mag.jpg
Epidemiology
Ovarian serous cystadenoma accounts for the largest proportion of benign ovarian tumours, making up over 50–80% of all benign epithelial ovarian tumours. Its prevalence peaks between 60–70 years of the human lifespan. Serous ovarian cystadenocarcinomas account for ~25% of serous tumours.
See also
*
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...
*
Pancreatic serous cystadenoma
Pancreatic serous cystadenoma is a benign tumour of the pancreas. It is usually found in the tail of the pancreas, and may be associated with von Hippel–Lindau syndrome.
In contrast to some of the other cyst-forming tumors of the pancreas (such ...
*
Serous carcinoma
A serous tumour is a neoplasm that typically has papillary to solid formations of tumor cells with crowded nuclei, and which typically arises on the modified Mullerian-derived serous membranes that surround the ovaries in females. Such ovarian t ...
References
External links
Gynaecological neoplasia
{{neoplasm-stub