Dermoid Cyst

A dermoid cyst is a benign tumor that can form on various parts of the body.  It comes in the form of a lump like mass that contains oily and fatty material.  It often also contains bits of hair and teeth within it.  They are commonly found on a woman’s ovaries, but they can also be found on almost any part of a person’s body such as the lungs, head, face, spine, and abdomen.  They are almost always benign but occasionally cancerous cells may form especially when it is located on the ovary.  The danger of this happening is increased with age.  A woman in her forties has a higher chance of having cancer cells forming than someone in their twenties.

A dermoid cyst will most often be located on the ovaries.  It is fairly common to have these cysts form here, but even though it is common it can be quite scary for the patient.  They usually do not produce any symptoms, so most women do not know that they have one until they undergo a routine physical exam from their doctor.  In some cases though the cyst may become twisted which can then cause a great deal of pain for the patient.  Once a cyst has been detected the doctor will almost always want to remove it.  This usually involves surgery.  If the mass is small then the doctor will likely remove it using laparoscopic surgery, which is surgery of the pelvis.   If it is larger, however; they may need to make a larger insertion into the abdomen.  If the cyst is located on certain areas of the ovary all or part of it may need to be removed.  Luckily a woman can usually still ovulate if the tissue of the ovarian wall is not heavily damaged.  If however it is damaged or the entire ovary needed to be removed a woman can still ovulate using her other ovary and will still be able to conceive children.

A dermoid cyst may usually be located on the ovaries, but it can also form in the nervous system.  When a baby is developing in its mother’s womb, these tissues can get trapped within the nervous system.  These become a form of tumor and are present at birth.  Unfortunately however these usually go unnoticed during early childhood and are not present until later in life.  It can be located in various parts of the nervous system; one of the more common is for it to be located in an area surrounding the spine. 

The symptoms that result from these dermoid cysts can vary greatly, and it mostly depends on what part of the nervous system they are located within.  Symptoms can include things such as a feeling of weakness or numbness in the affected areas.  It can also cause hearing or vision problems depending on where it is located.  Once the mass has been located by the doctor through the use of a CT scan it will often be removed.  The entire mass needs to be removed in order for the patient to be free from their symptoms.