Will early teratoma affect life expectancy?

Many patients start to panic when they see the diagnosis of "ovarian teratoma". Am I pregnant with a "freak"? Is this a malignant tumor? If I don't feel any pain or itching, can I avoid surgery? So, will early teratoma affect life expectancy?

Experts say that teratoma is not a difficult disease and can be treated in general specialist hospitals and general hospitals. Generally, surgical treatment has a good prognosis and will not directly affect life.

Ovarian teratoma is a tumor that is carried into the womb

Regarding the origin of ovarian teratoma, experts said, "Ovarian teratoma is not a 'freak', nor is it your identical sibling. This is a confusion between parasitic fetus and teratoma. Parasitic fetus, also known as 'fetus in fetus', is a weak embryo in a twin embryo that is encapsulated by a strong embryo. The encapsulated embryo parasitizes the fetus after delivery and grows together, absorbing the nutrition of the fetus and developing abnormally. The formation of ovarian teratoma begins in the patient's embryonic period, mainly from the patient's own germ cells. In the early embryonic period, primordial germ cells have the instinct to differentiate themselves, while some abnormally differentiated germ cells break away from the overall growth process of the embryo, differentiate and grow on their own, and eventually form teratomas. Teratomas are commonly found in the human sacrum (commonly known as the tailbone), testicles, and female ovaries."

Ovarian teratomas are mostly benign but may become malignant

So is ovarian teratoma benign or malignant? Experts said, "Ovarian teratoma is divided into mature teratoma (benign teratoma) and immature teratoma (malignant teratoma). Mature teratoma contains fully differentiated human tissues, including skin, hair, teeth, bones, etc., while immature teratoma has different degrees of differentiation, no or few formed tissues, unclear structure, and contains immature neural components. The more immature neural components, the higher the malignancy of the tumor. But patients don't have to be too nervous. 95%-98% of ovarian teratomas are benign, and only 2%-5% are malignant."

It is worth noting that benign ovarian teratomas may also become malignant. Unlike immature teratomas, the malignant transformation of benign teratomas has nothing to do with the differentiation of germ cells, but rather the transformation of benign cells into cancer cells, such as squamous cell carcinoma. However, both benign malignant transformation and malignant immature teratomas have the possibility of implantation and metastasis, endangering the life and health of patients. Malignant transformation of benign ovarian teratomas often occurs in women who are about to enter menopause or have already entered menopause. Although the probability is only 2%-3%, it should be taken seriously and treated in time. Malignant immature teratomas mainly occur in young women and adolescents.

If there are no symptoms in the early stage and it is allowed to develop, it will lead to ovarian necrosis

Many patients with ovarian teratoma do not have any symptoms in the early stages, and are only discovered accidentally during physical examinations, gynecological examinations or B-ultrasounds. So if there are no symptoms, do they still need surgical treatment? Experts say, "Ovarian teratomas are relatively small in the early stages, and patients may have no obvious symptoms. But as the tumor grows to a medium size (5-150px), compression symptoms may occur, such as compression of the bladder causing frequent urination, difficulty urinating, compression of the rectum causing a feeling of falling and constipation, etc. In addition, if the tumor in the ovary grows to a medium size (such as 5-175px), the center of gravity tends to be biased to one side, which may cause ovarian torsion. Long-term torsion will cause ischemia and necrosis of the ovaries, and eventually the ovaries have to be surgically removed. Even if there is no torsion, if the teratoma grows to more than 250px, it will seriously damage the normal tissue of the ovary. Even if the teratoma is removed surgically, the function of the remaining ovarian tissue may be significantly reduced."

Gynecological experts remind everyone that once an ovarian teratoma is formed, it will not disappear naturally, and there is no drug that can effectively treat it. Surgery is the best treatment method, and laparoscopic or open surgery can be selected, especially laparoscopic surgery is very effective for medium-sized benign teratomas. If the preoperative serological test shows that the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is high, it is suspected to be a malignant teratoma or a large teratoma, and open surgery should be selected.