How to prevent the recurrence of ovarian teratoma

Many patients have had this experience: they have undergone surgery to remove the teratoma, but not long after, it recurs, and the recurrence frequency is particularly high. So is there any way to prevent the recurrence of teratoma? What should be paid attention to before and after surgery? Let me briefly tell you, hoping to effectively reduce the possibility of teratoma recurrence.

Prognosis: The prognosis of teratoma is closely related to factors such as the age of first diagnosis, tumor location, incidence of malignant transformation, and treatment results. The younger the age of first diagnosis, the lower the incidence of malignancy. Among them, the malignancy rate of occult teratoma is the highest, reaching 71.4%; the mixed type is 46.7%, and the overt type is only 9.4%.

Complete removal of the tumor and reduction of postoperative recurrence and malignant transformation are another major prognostic factor for teratoma. Even for malignant teratoma, complete surgical resection is still the basic guarantee for long-term survival. At present, the three-year survival rate of comprehensive treatment after complete resection of malignant teratoma can reach 50%, and the five-year survival rate is 35%, while the survival rate of residual or recurrent tumors during surgery is only 3%. Among them, the survival rate of malignant teratomas in parts that are easy to completely remove, such as testicles and ovaries, is significantly higher than that of retroperitoneal and sacrococcygeal malignant teratomas. Among them, the prognosis of occult sacrococcygeal malignant teratomas is the worst, with a survival rate of only 8%.

Importance and precautions:

1. Eat a semi-liquid diet one day before the operation and do not eat or drink on the morning of the operation to prevent accidental inhalation of anesthesia.

2. Do not eat for 6 hours after the operation, and then eat liquid food, avoid sugar and milk. After the gas is discharged, gradually change from semi-liquid food to normal meals.

3. Purpose and necessity of preoperative preparation: Skin preparation is to clean the skin and prevent infection of the incision. The purpose of preoperative medication is to ensure sleep, induce anesthesia, enhance the anesthesia effect, and reduce glandular secretion. Gastrointestinal preparation prevents aspiration of vomitus during and after surgery, prevents accidental injury to the intestine during surgery, facilitates smooth surgery, and prevents abdominal distension after surgery.

4. Placement of a urinary catheter facilitates surgery and prevents accidental injury to the bladder.

5. Preoperative blood preparation and drug allergy tests are done to prepare for blood transfusion and medication during and after surgery.

6. After the operation, you may feel general discomfort, dizziness, and incision pain, which are normal phenomena. Use painkillers if necessary. You may also experience nausea and vomiting, which are mostly caused by anesthetics and surgical stimulation.

7. Teach patients techniques for turning over after surgery, methods for reducing abdominal tension, techniques for preventing incision pain when coughing, techniques for getting out of bed, and how to use a toilet in bed, etc.

8. After the operation, lie flat without a pillow and tilt your head to one side to prevent headaches, prevent suffocation due to accidental inhalation of vomitus, and prevent shock.

9. Removing the urinary catheter and urinating early are beneficial to the recovery of bladder function and the prevention of urinary retention; avoiding urination difficulties due to overfilling of the bladder

10. Discharge Instructions:

(1) Rest for 1 month after hysterectomy and refrain from sexual intercourse for 2-3 months. Avoid fatigue. After myomectomy, refrain from bathing in the tub and sexual intercourse for 1 month.

(2) 7-14 days after total hysterectomy, there will be a small amount of pink secretions in the vagina. This is caused by the dissolution of the intestinal stump of the vagina. This is a normal phenomenon and does not require treatment. Just rest properly. If the secretions are bloody and the amount is like menstrual period, you should seek medical attention immediately.

(3) You can take a shower one week after the stitches are removed. Wash with warm water on weekdays to prevent colds.

The above are some points on how to effectively prevent the recurrence of teratoma. If you follow the doctor's advice, eat a healthy diet, and maintain an optimistic attitude, the possibility of teratoma recurrence will be greatly reduced. In any case, the attitude is the most important. You must believe that this disease can be cured, so that there is a possibility of recovery.