"Is a cyst a tumor?"Many people unconsciously have such questions.
Cysts can develop in every organ throughout the body, but the vast majority of cysts are benign and asymptomatic, like small blisters in the body. There are three types of cysts that are commonly found in physical examinations.
Simple liver cysts are common in the right lobe of the liver, and asymptomatic liver cysts less than 4 cm in diameter should not be too worried, and regular re-examination is sufficient.
Symptomatic patients may present with abdominal pain, bloating, abdominal mass, loss of appetite, and fever, which often indicate rapid cyst growth, bleeding, or infection, and require a visit to a hospital.
Kidney cysts are a common kidney disease that is divided into simple kidney cysts and complex kidney cysts.
Among them, simple kidney cysts are single, multiple or bilateral, and the incidence increases with age, and most of them are benign. Like liver cysts, asymptomatic kidney cysts that are less than 4 cm in diameter and do not affect kidney function do not need to be treated and can be rechecked regularly. When a small number of simple kidney cysts are ruptured or infected, symptoms such as low back pain, hematuria, and hypertension may occur, and timely medical attention is required.
Complex kidney cysts include hemorrhagic cysts, infectious cysts, septal cysts, calcified cysts, etc., which have certain malignant risks and require further diagnostic evaluation.
Ovarian cysts are divided into physiological cysts and pathological cysts.
Physiological ovarian cysts are mostly related to the menstrual cycle, such as corpus luteum cysts and follicular cysts, which develop from the corpus luteum and follicles. For women of childbearing age, ovarian cysts that are found to be large and small during the physical examination in the second half of menstruation are likely to be physiological, and regular follow-up is sufficient.
Pathologic ovarian cysts are not related to the menstrual cycle, are often persistent, and are generally classified as benign and malignant, requiring further definitive diagnosis.
During the follow-up of ovarian cysts, if there are persistent symptoms such as lower abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, it is necessary to be alert to the torsion or rupture of the ovarian cyst pedicle, and you should go to ** for treatment in time to avoid delaying the condition.
Which cysts should I pay extra attention to?
In addition to the above three types of cysts, thyroid cysts, breast cysts, epidermoid cysts, ganglion cysts, etc. are also common. In general, benign cysts have the following four characteristics:
The shape is regular, mostly round or oval.
The boundaries are clear. The envelope is intact and the walls are thin and smooth.
Ultrasound shows uniform hypoechoic or anechoic, and CT shows uniform hypodensity.
If there are other specially marked words in the physical examination report, such as "visible separation", "thickening of the cyst wall", "the inner wall is not smooth", etc., it indicates that "this cyst is not simple", and it may be cystadenoma, cystadenocarcinoma, hydatid cyst, complex cyst, etc., which requires further examination and a clear diagnosis.
*: Popular Health magazine.
Planner: Tan Jia, Yu Yunxi.
Author: Jiang Meng, Hu Liu, Health Management Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
Review: Chen Zhong, an expert of the National Health Science Popularization Expert Database and Chief Physician of the Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
Editor: Li Jun.