The ovarian fibroma, also

fibroma Fibromas are benign tumors that are composed of fibrous or connective tissue. They can grow in all organs, arising from mesenchyme tissue. The term "fibroblastic" or "fibromatous" is used to describe tumors of the fibrous connective tissue. Whe ...

, is a

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 ...

sex cord-stromal tumour Sex is the phenotypic trait, trait that determines whether a sexual reproduction, sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while ...

. Ovarian fibromas represent 4% of all ovarian neoplasms. They tend to occur mostly during

perimenopause Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often d ...

and

postmenopause Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often d ...

, the median age having been reported to be about 52 years, and they are rare in

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

. Lesions tend to be asymptomatic. If symptoms are present, the most common one is abdominal pain. On

gross pathology Gross pathology refers to macroscopic manifestations of disease in organs, tissues, and body cavities. The term is commonly used by anatomical pathologists to refer to diagnostically useful findings made during the gross examination portion of ...

, they are firm and white or tan. On

microscopic The microscopic scale () is the scale of objects and events smaller than those that can easily be seen by the naked eye, requiring a lens (optics), lens or microscope to see them clearly. In physics, the microscopic scale is sometimes regarded a ...

examination, there are intersecting bundles of

spindle cell Von Economo neurons (VENs), also called spindle neurons, are a specific class of mammalian cortical neurons characterized by a large spindle-shaped soma (or body) gradually tapering into a single apical axon (the ramification that ''transmits ...

s producing

collagen Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix found in the body's various connective tissues. As the main component of connective tissue, it is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up from 25% to 35% of the whole ...

. There may be

thecoma Thecomas or theca cell tumors are benign Ovarian cancer, ovarian neoplasms composed only of theca cells. Histogenetically they are classified as sex cord-stromal tumours. They are typically estrogen-producing and they occur in older women (mean a ...

tous areas ( fibrothecoma). The presence of an ovarian fibroma can cause

ovarian torsion Ovarian torsion (OT) or adnexal torsion is an abnormal condition where an ovary twists on its attachment to other structures, such that blood flow is decreased. Symptoms typically include pelvic pain on one side. While classically the pain is su ...

in some cases.

Diagnosis

Ovarian tumors by incidence and cancer risk

Diagnosis is usually made by

ultrasonography Ultrasound is sound waves with frequencies higher than the upper audible limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is not different from "normal" (audible) sound in its physical properties, except that humans cannot hear it. This limit varies fr ...

showing a solid ovarian lesion, or, on some occasions, mixed tumors with solid and cystic components. Computed tomography and

magnetic resonance imaging Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio wave ...

can also be used to diagnose fibromas. In a series of 16 patients, 5 (28%) showed elevated levels of

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 bioma ...

Histopathology Histopathology (compound of three Greek words: ''histos'' "tissue", πάθος ''pathos'' "suffering", and -λογία '' -logia'' "study of") refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease. Spe ...

demonstrates spindle-shaped fibroblastic cells and abundant collagen.

Treatment

Usually the lesion is surgically removed. Primarily, there is concern that the lesion identified in a patient could be cancerous, but there is also the risk of torsion, and possibly the development of symptoms. A stable lesion, however, could be clinically followed.

Associations

Variants with

edema Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's Tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels t ...

can be associated with Meigs' syndrome. They may be a part of

nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome Nevoid basal-cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) is an inherited medical condition involving defects within multiple body systems such as the skin, nervous system, eyes, endocrine system, and bones. People with this syndrome are particularly prone to ...

(Gorlin syndrome).

References

External links

{{Female genital neoplasia Gynaecological neoplasia