Treatment of Ovarian Teratoma
Best hospitals and doctors for ovarian teratoma treatment abroad
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Teratoma is a germ cell tumor that contains different types of tissues, e.g. muscle, hair, bone, etc. Such tumors are ovarian, testicular or are located in the coccyx. What are the causes of the ovarian teratoma development and how has medicine learned to cope with it?
Content
- What is an ovarian teratoma
- Mature teratoma
- Immature teratomas
- Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Teratoma and fertility
- Prognosis
- Why choose hospitals abroad?
- Cost of treatment abroad
- How to start treatment abroad?
What is an ovarian teratomaa
Ovarian teratoma is an embryonic cell tumor that develops from the layers of the endo-, exo-, and mesoderm. It can be both benign and malignant. Most of such neoplasms are benign. An ovarian malignant tumor can metastasize to distant organs and body parts.
About 25-30% of all mature teratomas develop in the ovarian region, the same amount develops in the sacrum and coccyx area. Up to 10-15% of teratomas are detected in the retroperitoneal space, 5-7% – in the testicles, the same amount – in the presacral area (between the sacrum and the rectus), 5% – in the mediastinal zone (organs located between the right and left pleural cavities).
The factors contributing to the development of the ovarian tumor have not been precisely established yet. It is assumed that teratomas arise as a result of disturbances in embryogenesis, i.e. the process during which embryos are formed and developed.
Ovarian teratomas develop from the primary germ cells. During normal development, they become eggs or sperm (according to gender), but sometimes this process is interrupted, and immature cells turn into various mature tissues of the human body. The structure of mature teratomas is unpredictable. Inside mature teratomas, doctors may find skin derivatives, fragments of liver, thyroid gland, or bone tissue.
In rare cases, mature teratomas can develop in the region of the brain, on the jaws, in the nasal cavity, or lungs.
Mature teratoma
In the main classification, teratomas are divided into mature cystic and immature teratomas. Mature cystic teratomas have a dermoid structure. They are characterized by slow growth without affecting adjacent tissues. A mature cystic teratoma is usually a dense neoplasm covered with a fibrous capsule. Mature cystic teratoma does not tend to progress quickly and rarely transforms into a malignant tumor.
Immature teratomas
One of the significant problems of modern oncogynecology is ovarian tumors. Epithelial neoplasms occupy the first place in terms of frequency.
Most gynecologists and oncologists may be not familiar with rare ovarian tumors. These include immature teratomas of ovaries, which make up to 1% of all the neoplasms in the women's gonad. Mature cystic teratomas take the 3rd place in the frequency among all the germinogenic ovarian tumors. In the histological classification, immature teratomas belong to ovarian tumors of the group of cystic teratomas.
By the definition, immature teratomas contain embryonic tissues. Most often, the tissues of the nervous system at different stages of embryonic differentiation are found in immature teratomas.
Despite the absence of structures with morphological signs of malignancy, immature teratomas have the ability to invade the surrounding tissues and even metastasize. At the same time, the primary neoplasm and metastases associated with immature teratomas can exist for years without causing significant functional disorders. In those rare cases when there is the possibility of comparing the microscopic structure of the primary ovarian tumor and metastases, the convincing signs of ovarian tumor not differing much from metastatic cells with progression is observed in immature teratomas. The unexpected progression of the process with a fatal outcome can happen with immature teratomas.
A variety of clinical courses of the immature teratomas, affects the approach to the treatment of women with immature teratomas of ovaries.
Symptoms
The asymptomatic clinical course or mild symptoms are characteristic for mature cystic teratomas. Being mostly benign, mature cystic teratomas often become an accidental finding during clinical examination for other reasons. With large ovarian teratomas, symptoms including difficulty urinating and defecation are possible. In women with asthenic physique, an increase in the size of the abdomen is sometimes noted. The menstrual cycle is not disturbed.
Sometimes ovarian teratomas can be first detected after pregnancy. This may be due to the acceleration of the growth of the neoplasm against the background of a change in hormonal levels, increased pressure of the tumor on the uterus and pelvic organs, or torsion of the ovarian with mature cystic teratoma. Torsion of the ovarian with the mature cystic teratomas is accompanied by intense pain. It is a medical emergency requiring immediate surgery.
With immature teratomas, weakness, fatigue, and pain in the lower abdomen are observed. With the progression of the ovarian teratoma moderate normochromic anemia, weight loss, pallor, and dry skin are noted. An increase in the size of an ovarian teratoma and the involvement of nearby organs cause symptoms including a change in the pain type, impaired defecation, and urination.
In the absence of timely treatment, necrosis of the ovarian mature cystic teratoma wall is possible. It may be followed by rupture of the cyst and the development of peritonitis. Both pregnant and non-pregnant women with ovarian teratomas can feel an inflammatory process, manifested by severe pain, severe weakness, and an increase in body temperature.
Diagnosis
Since teratoma is a congenital condition, it is possible to diagnose it at the early stages during an ultrasound scan. But not all types of tumors can be detected in this way since some of them develop during the first few years of life. For clinical diagnostics at an older age, doctors carry out:
- Blood tests
- X-ray and CT scan
- Gynecological examination
- Endoscopic examination
- MRI
- Biopsy
Additionally, you may need to visit an oncologist who will determine whether the tumor is benign or not. Only after receiving all the results of clinical examinations and visiting related specialists, the doctor prescribes the most effective treatment.
Treatment
Treatment of ovarian teratoma of any form is operative. In torsion of the ovarian with the cystic teratomas, the surgery is performed on an emergency basis.
According to the research, removal of the primary ovarian tumor is important in treatment. At advanced stages of the disease, maximum possible cytoreduction is optimal.
The volume of surgery is determined with consideration to the size of the tumor, the age of the patient, the location of the ovarian teratoma, and the presence of concomitant diseases. In girls and young women, the removal of ovarian teratoma with affection of the pelvic organs is carried out in the form of partial resection of the ovaries. To women during menopause, complete removal of the uterus with both appendages is indicated.
Currently, surgery is carried out with the help of the laparoscopic method. Most researchers point out the need to perform the surgery without damaging the ovarian tumor capsule, not allowing the contents of the cyst to go into the abdominal cavity. However, it is not always possible to follow these requirements when performing laparoscopic surgery.
Mature cystic teratomas are usually removed laparoscopically. They have a favorable prognosis with the preservation of fertility. During surgery, a part of the ovary can be resected.
Due to the tendency to transform into a malignant form and metastasize to the lymph nodes, the treatment of cystic teratomas consists not only from surgery but also from the use of radiation therapy simultaneously with the administration of anticancer drugs.
In most cases, the prognosis is favorable. To a large extent, it depends on where the ovarian tumor was formed, as well as on how timely and sufficient the treatment was. Treatment of mature cystic teratoma, the course of which is complicated by malignant transformation, is less successful. In such cases, even the surgery does not guarantee a complete recovery.
Teratoma and fertility
In most cases, the tumor grows asymptomatically. In this regard, mature cystic teratomas complicate pregnancy, threatening not only the health and fertility of a woman but also the life of a child.
The type of cellular changes determines what the teratoma itself will be, namely mature cystic or immature. Mature cystic teratomas develop from embryonic tissues; these can be cells of nerves, fat, bones, muscles, etc. In the presence of unidentified cells, we are talking about immature teratomas, prone to malignancy.
Prognosis
The prognosis is determined by the type of the histological structure (mature cystic or immature), the primary localization of the tumor, and timely and sufficient treatment. However, women with mature cystic teratomas, as a rule, require shorter follow-up after the completion of the main therapeutic course.
Why choose hospitals abroad?
After the diagnosis has been made, and you have learned what teratoma is and how dangerous it is, it is better not to waste time. The earlier the treatment is started, the more favorable the prognosis is.
Now it’s a question of choosing the best hospital for treatment. You can always choose what local hospitals have to offer, but if you’re considering the option of treatment abroad, it’s reasonable to say that you’re thinking in the right direction.
Foreign hospitals have everything necessary for the effective treatment of cancer, i.e. innovative technology, medications, and techniques that are developed in world medicine are quickly introduced into the practice of foreign hospitals.
Specialists that work in foreign hospitals are considered the best in the world due to their training and qualifications. That is why oncology treatment in foreign hospitals demonstrates the highest world rates.
During treatment in foreign hospitals, several methods are usually used that complement each other and target the tumor with the help of different mechanisms of action. There is no standard scheme of cancer treatment. Depending on the results of the examination, age and the general health, each patient receives an individual treatment program while undergoing treatment in foreign hospitals.
Doctors working at foreign hospitals give preference to minimally invasive methods. This is especially important in the treatment of ovarian teratoma since the vital structures of the female reproductive system remain intact.
The precise information about the hospitals that offer the treatment of ovarian teratoma is to be found on the Booking Health website.
Cost of treatment abroad
Before mentioning the prices, you need to know that the figures you usually find on the web are very approximate. On the contrary, Booking Health offers treatment programs with the cost of treatment guarantee, so you’re able to know how to evaluate your financial capacity.
The cost of treatment abroad with surgery starts at 2,130 EUR.
The cost of treatment abroad with chemotherapy starts at 1,611 EUR.
The minimal price of diagnostics is 584,00 EUR.
If you want to get a consultation about the therapeutic methods and prices for treatment, leave a request on the Booking Health website.
How to start treatment abroad?
Well, for starters, you need to decide whether you want to arrange the treatment abroad by yourself or to use the services of a medical tourism agency.
If the latter seems more convenient to you, you’re not wrong. Treatment abroad with Booking Health implies comfort at every step of the journey. Booking Health provides the services of negotiation with hospitals, visa support, translation and interpretation, booking accommodation and so much more.
All you need to do is leave the request on the Booking Health website, and a medical advisor will contact you.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board certified doctors Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk and Dr. Sergey Pashchenko. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources:
National Center for Biotechnology
