Treatment and prognosis of ovarian teratoma

Today I will share with you some knowledge about "ovarian teratoma", a serious gynecological disease that affects female fertility and even threatens life. It mainly occurs in women of childbearing age. The most important thing is that most of its clinical manifestations are not obvious, and there is no pain in the early stage of the disease. When acute abdominal pain occurs, the condition is already serious. Therefore, regular gynecological examinations are very important. The following is an explanation of its treatment measures and prognosis.

1. First aid measures: Once it is confirmed that the teratoma pedicle is twisted or ruptured, emergency surgery should be performed immediately.

2. Treatment measures:

Patients with ovarian teratoma should choose surgical treatment. The scope of surgery may include ipsilateral oophorectomy, ipsilateral teratoma removal and/or contralateral ovarian biopsy. The surgical method can be laparoscopic or open. The benign or malignant nature of the teratoma can be preliminarily determined based on what is found during the operation. If a malignant tumor is suspected, the teratoma should be sent for frozen pathology examination as soon as possible. Malignant teratomas should also undergo complete staged surgery as much as possible.

During the operation, the pelvis is fully explored, the greater omentum and peritoneum are removed, and lymph node biopsy is performed to understand the scope of tumor infiltration and the degree of involvement of various organs and tissues. For young patients with malignant teratoma who want to have children, surgery to preserve fertility can be considered. The chemotherapy regimen currently recommended by WHO is the BEP regimen.

3. Disease Prognosis

The recurrence rate of mature cystic teratoma is about 2%, with a recurrence interval of more than 10 years, and it is more common in patients with bilateral lesions. The malignant transformation rate of mature cystic teratoma is 2%-3%. Malignant transformation tends to occur near the head segment, with squamous cell carcinoma being the most common. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma have a poor prognosis, with a mortality rate of 75%-86%. The recurrence rate of immature teratoma is over 50%, but recurrent immature teratoma has the characteristic of transformation from immaturity to maturity. Over time, the malignancy gradually decreases.

From the above description of ovarian teratoma, we have a certain understanding of its treatment. It should be said that surgery is relatively safe and thorough in the early diagnosis, while chemotherapy may cause other complications, etc. In addition, we still emphasize that due to the hidden onset of the disease, it is recommended that all women of childbearing age must have regular physical examinations so that problems can be discovered in time.