I am a female who had ovarian cancer (removed in 2000), and I had a hematoma when they removed a tumor the size of my fist off my right ovary. Can a hematoma be related to ovarian cancer?

This is a good question to ask.  A hematoma is technically defined as: "A localized swelling filled with blood resulting from a break in a blood vessel."  Although the hematoma did not cause the ovarian cancer, it's possible that the tumor in the ovary caused the hematoma.  As the ovarian tumor grew, it may have ruptured a nearby blood vessel causing the hematoma to form.  It's also possible that the hematoma had nothing to do with the tumor; some women will have ruptured ovarian cysts which can bleed and resolve on their own.  Perhaps this was the reason for the hematoma and the surgeons just happened to find it when they were doing your operation to take out the tumor.

Many patients ask if one type of medical problem is related to their cancer.  For example, many adolescents and young adults with bone cancer will experience a sports-related injury several weeks before being diagnosed.  Often the injury is nearby the site of their bone tumor and when they seek medical attention for their initial injury, their tumor is discovered.  This is why many people will wonder if their sports accident actually caused the cancer to happen.  In all likelihood, the injury is unrelated to the bone tumor.  The injury brought the patient to the doctor and his or her cancer was found sooner than it would have been because of the careful physical exam the doctor performed.  Even though it seems related, it was probably just a lucky coincidence! 

This may be the same type of explanation for your hematoma and ovarian cancer.  Depending on the hematoma's location, it may have been completely unrelated to the ovarian cancer and just a lucky coincidence that it was discovered during the surgery.  There are no reports described in the medical literature of hematomas leading to the development of ovarian cancer.

Please keep the great questions coming!!!         

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