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. 2022 Jul 5:9:913549.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.913549. eCollection 2022.

Management of the Adnexal Mass: Considerations for the Family Medicine Physician

Brian Bullock  1 , Lisa Larkin  2   3   4 , Lauren Turker  1 , Kate Stampler  5
Affiliations

Management of the Adnexal Mass: Considerations for the Family Medicine Physician

Brian Bullock et al. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is the most deadly gynecological cancer, so proper assessment of a pelvic mass is necessary in order to determine which are at high risk for malignancy and should be referred to a gynecologic oncologist. However, in a family medicine setting, evaluation and treatment of these masses can be challenging due to a lack of resources. A number of risk assessment tools are available to family medicine physicians, including imaging techniques, imaging systems, and blood-based biomarker assays each with their respective pros and cons, and varying ability to detect malignancy in pelvic masses. Effective utilization of these assessment tools can inform the care pathway for patients which present with an adnexal mass, such as expectant management for those with a low risk of malignancy, or referral to a gynecologic oncologist for surgery and staging, for those at high risk of malignancy. Triaging patients to the appropriate care pathway improves patient outcomes and satisfaction, and family medicine physicians can play a key role in this decision-making process.

Keywords: biomarkers; family medicine; multivariate index assay; ovarian cancer; pelvic mass; simple rules; ultrasound.

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Conflict of interest statement

KS has been a consultant for Aspira Women’s Health, Inc., and is currently employed by Einstein Healthcare Network. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
A general care pathway for adnexal masses discovered in a family medicine setting.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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