Most ovarian cysts are harmless. The first operation must be planned as if this one may not be.

Ovarian cysts are extremely common and usually benign. But when a cyst has solid parts, septations, blood-flow on Doppler, raised tumor markers, or appears after menopause, it must be evaluated by a gynecologic oncologist before surgery. The reason is simple and critical: if an unexpected cancer is opened or ruptured during a routine cyst operation, the disease can be upstaged and the prognosis worsened. International guidelines therefore recommend that suspicious masses be operated on by gynecologic oncology surgeons from the start.

Prof. Erdemoğlu evaluates ovarian cysts and pelvic masses with expert ultrasound assessment, MRI where needed, and tumor markers, and operates minimally invasively whenever safe — removing the mass intact, with frozen-section pathology in the operating room, so that if cancer is found, complete staging is performed in the same operation. Benign cysts, endometriomas and dermoid cysts are treated with ovary-preserving techniques in women who wish to protect their fertility.

When to seek consultation:

Any complex or persistent ovarian cyst; a cyst after menopause; elevated CA-125 or other markers; a pelvic mass of unclear origin.