She had been undergoing a procedure for the removal of an ovarian cyst when the gynecologist who was operating on her discovered that she had metastatic colon cancer.

NEWYORKER: Letting Go

The expected course of ovarian cysts varies with a woman's age, the size of the cyst, whether there is a family history of ovarian cysts, and whether the cyst is fluid-filled, appears to be a solid mass of tissue, or has both fluid and solid components.

CNN: What are the potential problems with ovarian cysts?