Adnexal neoplasms are tumors that develop in accessory structures of organs such as the eye, uterus, or skin. They can be benign or malignant, with skin adnexal tumors being common and usually benign. Adnexal tumors of the ovary are usually benign, but if cancerous, treatment depends on the stage of the tumor.
An adnexal neoplasm is a tumor that develops in the adnexal tissue. Adnexial means accessory and adnexal tissues are accessory structures belonging to an organ. In a medical context, adnexal most often refers to accessory parts of the eye, uterus, or skin, such as the eyelids, ovaries, and sweat glands, and an adnexal neoplasm can occur in any of these locations. An adnexal tumor can be benign or malignant, although most are benign. While a benign tumor does not spread and is not cancerous, a malignant tumor, or neoplasm, is cancer and can invade the rest of the body if left untreated.
There are many types of skin adnexa tumors, both malignant and benign. Skin adnexal cells are found in sweat glands and hair follicles, and when abnormal new growth or a neoplasm occurs in these cells, an adnexal neoplasm forms. In most cases, an adnexal skin tumor is not cancer and treatment will consist of surgical removal of the tumor. A cancerous neoplasm is rarely found, and these tend to have a poor outlook due to their tendency to invade surrounding structures and spread through the body.
An adnexal neoplasm of the ovary is usually benign. Sometimes the growth represents a normal, functional ovarian cyst, which the body produces several times a year, but which has grown larger or failed to go away before the end of that particular menstrual cycle. An adnexal tumor is more likely to be benign if it occurs in a woman’s reproductive years. Before puberty and after menopause, there is an increased chance that an adnexal tumor may be malignant. In many cases, this type of ovarian cancer causes no obvious symptoms, although sometimes a lump may be seen.
Treatment of an adnexal neoplasm of the ovary depends on whether the tumor is cancerous. For a benign neoplasm, treatment is not always necessary, and the growth may disappear on its own. If not, laparoscopic surgery, which is done through small incisions, may be done to remove the tumor.
When the surgeon believes that the cancer cells that make up a tumor might be cancerous, surgery might involve inspecting nearby structures for signs of spread. Depending on how far the tumor has progressed, surgery may be limited to cutting out the major structures involved, or nearby tissue may also be removed. The outlook for an adnexal neoplasm of the ovary ranges from very good in the case of a benign tumor to poor in the case of a cancerous tumor already advanced at the time of diagnosis.
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