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Ovarian cancer: Still possible after hysterectomy?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ovarian-cancer/AN01018
- With Mayo Clinic medical oncologist
Timothy J. Moynihan, M.D.
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Timothy J. 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 with accurate, timely information on the broad, complex topic of cancer is the biggest challenge facing medical websites. As the guiding force behind our cancer content, he makes sure Mayo Clinic meets the test.
Dr. Moynihan, born in Las Vegas, N.M., and raised in Denver, is a consultant in medical oncology at Mayo Clinic and an associate professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn. He's 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 for seven years before moving to Mayo Clinic in 1999. Dr. Moynihan is medical director of the Mayo Clinic hospice.
Dr. Moynihan serves as the education chair for the Department of Oncology and the 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.
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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 so, should I continue to have regular Pap tests?
Answer
from Timothy J. 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 less likely to occur, but it does not remove all risk. You still have a small risk of what's called primary peritoneal cancer, which acts just like ovarian cancer and is treated similarly. Peritoneal cancer may result from ovarian cells that migrated to the peritoneal area during each menstrual cycle before your ovaries were removed. These cells can become cancerous later on. Alternatively, since the peritoneum and ovaries arise from the same tissues during embryonic development, it's possible that cancer could arise from the cells of the peritoneum.
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 of cancer of the cervix or abnormal cells were previously found on the surface of your cervix (dysplasia), your doctor may 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 April 11, 2011.
- Pap test. WomensHealth.gov. http://womenshealth.gov/faq/pap-test.cfm. Accessed April 11, 2011.
- Moynihan TJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 11, 2011.
- Gallenberg MM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 14, 2011.
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