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Cervical cysts: Can they be cancerous?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cervical-cysts/AN00123
- With Mayo Clinic gynecologist and obstetrician
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Dr. Mary Gallenberg is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine and medical oncology.
An Antigo, Wis., native, Dr. Gallenberg is a consultant in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and an assistant professor at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Gallenberg has been with Mayo Clinic since 1990. She was on the Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource editorial board and has been honored for excellence in teaching. She also won a Mayo Clinic Excellence Through Teamwork award.
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Question
Cervical cysts: Can they be cancerous?
Can cervical cysts be cancerous?
Answer
from Mary M. Gallenberg, M.D.
Cervical cysts — mucus-filled lumps that form on the cervix — are rarely cancerous. These cysts form when normal tissue on the outer part of the cervix (squamous epithelium) grows over the glandular, mucus-producing tissue of the inner part of the cervix (endocervical canal), trapping mucus and forming cysts.
Cervical cysts often are discovered incidentally during a pelvic exam. They generally don't cause symptoms and require no treatment.
If a cervical cyst looks unusual to your doctor, or you also have signs and symptoms that suggest cervical cancer — for instance, abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge, pelvic pain, or pain during intercourse — your doctor may perform a biopsy of your cervix.
- Katz VL. Benign gynecological lesions: Vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus, oviduct, ovary. In: Katz VL, et al. Comprehensive Gynecology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-4/0/1524/0.html. Accessed Feb. 15, 2011.
- The cervix: Colposcopy: Colposcopic appearance of benign lesions. American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology. http://www.asccp.org/edu/practice/cervix/colposcopy/benign.shtml. Accessed Feb. 15, 2011.
- Goldstein DP, et al. Congenital cervical anomalies and benign cervical lesions. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 9, 2011.
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