Evaluating an Asymptomatic Adnexal Cyst Found on Pelvic Ultrasonography https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2714297 “It is well recognized that simple adnexal cysts (thin-walled round or oval cysts with anechoic fluid and through transmission) are almost always benign, but there is hesitancy to ignore these common cysts and not recommend follow-up, particularly when cysts are large or when the patient is postmenopausal. This study determines the risk for malignant ovarian cancer based on ultrasonographic characteristics of masses in the ovaries, including simple cysts. The researchers enrolled 72,093 women who underwent pelvic ultrasonography and identified 210 who were consequently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Normal ovaries were observed in most women. A simple cyst was the second most common ovarian finding among participants after a normal ovary. Nearly 25% of participants younger than 50 years had a simple cyst, as di...

"Keys to identifying Lynch syndrome" http://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/gynecologic-cancers/keys-identifying-lynch-syndrome “Lynch syndrome is an autosomal-dominant hereditary cancer syndrome that has the same incidence in the general population as the BRCA1/2gene cancer syndrome: 1 in 400 people. Lynch syndrome is not rare, and yet it is under-diagnosed, only about 5% of Lynch syndrome carriers have been identified. The predominant risk associated is colon cancer. Lynch syndrome is caused by a mutation in a DNA mismatch repair pathway. Usually, our healthy genes can detect mistaken genes and repair them as they are growing and multiplying. However, with Lynch syndrome, the healthy cells cannot repair the errant cells, and the body continues to make more flawed cells, which will lead to a cancer. A study from MD Anderson in 2005 reported that up to 71% of women identified as having Lynch syndrome will acquire endometrial cancer (20% risk by age 50) and ...

“Survival of Women With Type I and II Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Detected by Ultrasound Screening” Obstetrics and Gynecology 132(5):1089-1090, November 2018  “The University of Kentucky Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial was initiated in 1987 to determine the effect of annual trans vaginal ultrasonography on stage at detection and ovarian cancer mortality.  Since that time, free screening has been provided to more than 46,000 women (at high risk due to familial factors).  Unscreened women with clinically detected epithelial ovarian cancer referred to the University of Kentucky-Markey Cancer Center for treatment from 1995 to 2017 served as the control group for this investigation. Women who had a normal screen were scheduled to return in 12 months for a repeat screen. Women who had an abnormal screen underwent a repeat ultrasound examination in 4–6 weeks. Criteria for abnormality included an ovarian volume greater than 20cm 3 for premenopausal women ...

" every action has a reaction" "Association of Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy Before Menopause Onset With Medial Temporal Lobe Neurodegeneration" jamaneurol.2018.3057 “Women who undergo bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) before the onset of menopause have an accelerated accumulation of multimorbidity, with an increased risk of aging-associated neurological diseases, including dementia Premenopausal oophorectomy–induced oestrogen deficiency is thought to be the primary cause of the increased risk of cognitive impairment or dementia in women with BSO before the onset of menopause.  Alzheimer Disease (AD) biomarker abnormalities have been observed more frequently in women undergoing menopause compared with premenopausal women, after controlling for age. Neurology. 2007;69(11):1074-1083 In our study, 96% of the women with BSO were treated with estrogen (primarily oral conjugated equine estrogen), for a median of 10 years after BSO; however, t...