Long believed to be asymptomatic (silent) until a late stage, early ovarian carcinoma may cause crampy abdominal pain or urinary urgency, frequency or incontinence1.
In postmenopausal women, features of ovarian cyst that are suspicious for cancer include 1) larger than 10 cm, 2) mixed cystic and solid components, 3) increased blood levels of the "marker" known as CA1252. If there is suspicion of cancer, the cyst must be removed for pathological examination.
Ovarian cancer is characteristically aggressive, in contrast with most breast cancers for instance, such that diagnostic delay of a few months may make a significant difference to survival and prognosis.
Copyright © 2009 Electronic Handbook of Legal Medicine