- With Mayo Clinic medical oncologist
Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
"As a practicing medical oncologist, I meet with patients and families every day to help manage their course through this disease called cancer. This experience provides unique insight into the needs of cancer patients, their families and loved ones and brings into sharp focus the need for reliable information to be readily available in terms that can be easily understood." — Dr. Timothy Moynihan
Dr. Timothy Moynihan believes that providing consumers accurate, timely information on the broad, complex topic of cancer is the biggest challenge facing medical Web sites. As the guiding force behind our cancer coverage, he makes sure Mayo Clinic meets the test.
Dr. Moynihan, born in Las Vegas, N.M., but raised in Denver, is a consultant in medical oncology at Mayo Clinic and an associate professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice and palliative care medicine. He did his medical oncology training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and then went on to the University of Minnesota and St. Paul Regions Medical Center in St. Paul, Minn., for seven years before moving to Mayo Clinic in 1999. Dr. Moynihan is director of the palliative care program at Mayo Clinic and associate medical director of the Mayo Clinic hospice.
Dr. Moynihan currently serves as the education chair for the Department of Medical Oncology and fellowship program director. Four times he has been selected as Teacher of the Year in medical oncology and elected to the Teacher of the Year Hall of Fame. Past honors include distinguished clinical teacher at the University of Minnesota Medical School, best internist at the Medical College of Wisconsin and recipient of The Upjohn Achievement Award for Excellence in Medicine. He serves on several national committees for the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
"The Internet provides a ready source of information on a wide range of topics of interest to those affected by cancer," Dr. Moynihan says. "The difficulty is trying to decide which sites provide reputable information and which information is relevant to each individual patient. The long history and tradition of excellence associated with Mayo Clinic assures you that information provided will be reliable, up-to-date and comprehensive."
Risk factors (1)
- Ovarian cancer: Still possible after hysterectomy?
Symptoms (1)
- CA 125 test: A screening test for ovarian cancer?
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- Pap smear: Can it detect ovarian cancer?
Prevention (1)
- Ovarian cancer vaccine: Can it prevent recurrence?
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Question
Ovarian cancer: Still possible after hysterectomy?
Is ovarian cancer still possible after a hysterectomy? If this is true, should I continue to have regular Pap tests?
Answer
from Timothy Moynihan, M.D.
Yes, you still have a risk of ovarian cancer or a type of cancer that acts just like it (primary peritoneal cancer) if you've had a hysterectomy.
Your risk depends on the type of hysterectomy you had:
- Partial hysterectomy or total hysterectomy. A partial hysterectomy removes your uterus, and a total hysterectomy removes your uterus and your cervix. Both procedures leave your ovaries and fallopian tubes intact, so you can still develop ovarian cancer.
- Total hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy. This procedure removes your cervix and uterus as well as both ovaries and fallopian tubes. This makes ovarian cancer unlikely. But you still have a small risk of primary peritoneal cancer, which acts just like ovarian cancer and is treated similarly. It's not clear why the risk of peritoneal cancer remains.
A Pap test is a screening test for cervical cancer, but it can't detect ovarian cancer. Currently there are no effective screening tests for ovarian cancer. If you've had your cervix removed as part of a total hysterectomy, you usually don't need an annual Pap test. But if your hysterectomy was done because cancer or abnormal cells were detected, doctors recommend continued Pap tests.
You may still need regular pelvic exams after hysterectomy. Ask your doctor how often you should have a pelvic exam.
Next questionCA 125 test: A screening test for ovarian cancer?
- Hysterectomy. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp008.cfm. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
- Pap test. WomensHealth.gov. http://womenshealth.gov/faq/pap-test.cfm. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
