CANCER

CANCER DETECTION

Ultrasound can be done a few ways depending on the patient, the reason for the ultrasound, and the request from the referring doctor or healthcare provider:

Uterine / Endometrial Cancer

Ovarian Cancer

Some details about ovarian cysts in general and the approach we take at SUGO can be found here. Ovarian cancer is rare, but a diagnosis is of the utmost importance so that therapy can be faciliated as soon as possible. Besides benign ovarian cysts, ovarian cysts can be borderline or cancerous, both of which are considered in the “cancer” umbrella. Borderline cysts are sometimes referred to as “tumors of low malignant potential” or “atypical proliferative tumors”. Borderline cysts usually need to be removed as they have a dangerous potential. Patients with borderline cysts could have fertility-preserving surgery if desired.

In most cases, ovarian cancer can be differentiated from benign cysts and from borderline cysts using ultrasound. The key is that ultrasound examination and interpretation, like any diagnostic imaging test, is dependent on the skill and experience of the examiner as well as the quality of the ultrasound equipment. At SUGO, we are able to differentiate between benign, borderline and cancerous ovarian cysts in most cases by performing a systematic and detailed analysis of the cyst appearance using the IOTA group approach and predictive models such as ADNEX. In some cases, the diagnosis can be augmented by a blood test like CA125. The information gained from a high quality ultrasound can enable expeditious care to the right doctor, whether that is a gynecologic oncologist or general gynecologist.