What is the treatment for teratoma

Ovarian teratoma is a tumor that grows in the ovarian tissue and is formed by the abnormal proliferation and aggregation of germ cells. It can be seen in women of any age and is a common gynecological disease. The following will introduce the treatment methods for teratoma.

Because germ cells contain three kinds of tissue components of the human body, namely, ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm, the tumor will contain ectoderm tissues such as hair, oil, skin, teeth, and bone pieces. It may also contain mesoderm or endoderm tissues such as muscle, gastrointestinal tract, and thyroid tissue. Because of this, the center of gravity of ovarian teratoma is often biased to one side, especially for medium-sized teratomas (diameter of more than 5 cm). The pedicle may be twisted at any time, causing ischemia and necrosis of the affected side appendages, and abdominal pain. It is an acute abdomen. If not treated in time, the teratoma is prone to softening, tension increases, causing cyst rupture, and the contents flow into the abdominal cavity, causing severe peritonitis, followed by infection and toxic shock. If irreversible shock is caused, the consequences will be disastrous and may be life-threatening. It can be said that the teratoma left in the abdominal cavity is equivalent to a time bomb, which is in danger of exploding at any time.

Common complications of ovarian teratoma: 1. Pedicle torsion; 2. Cyst rupture; 3. Hemolytic anemia; 4. Malignant transformation (malignant transformation rate is less than 5%, and the average age of malignant transformation is about over 50 years old)

Therefore, once an ovarian teratoma is diagnosed, surgery is the appropriate option regardless of size.

For those who want to have children, they can consider pregnancy as long as the normal ovarian function (ovulation and secretion of sex hormones) is restored after surgery. In addition, larger ovarian tumors may affect the egg collection function of the fallopian tube, leading to infertility. It is also possible that the presence of the tumor affects the ovarian function, and there is a risk of early embryonic development arrest after pregnancy. Therefore, it is recommended that patients with teratoma should undergo surgery before pregnancy.

There are two surgical methods: laparotomy and laparoscopy. Laparotomy has a large incision and a small field of view, which makes the operation difficult and often makes it difficult to remove the teratoma tissue cleanly. Laparoscopic surgery has a small incision and a wide field of view, which has a magnifying effect. The ovary where the teratoma is located is placed in a plastic bag, and the teratoma tissue can be completely removed without contaminating the abdominal cavity. At the same time, it is convenient to explore the contralateral ovary (more than 50% of teratomas are bilateral and occur successively), so laparoscopy is the first choice for ovarian teratoma. Rapid pathological examination is routinely sent during the operation, and the final surgical procedure is determined based on the results. If it is an immature teratoma (malignant) or if complications occur during the operation, there is a possibility of conversion to laparotomy.