Stepping Closer to Early Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer

Because there are no early symptoms, most cases of ovarian cancer are already in advanced stages when they are found, but a new strategy could help identify these cancers early when they are curable. The approach was studied in more than 3,200 postmenopausal women age 50 to 74 at average risk of the disease. Over nine years, all participants received an annual test for CA-125, a blood protein associated with ovarian cancer but not a reliable marker for the disease. When the initial test results indicated low levels of CA-125, the women were retested a year later. Those with elevated levels were retested in three months. If these follow up results were elevated further, the women were referred for transvaginal ultrasound to examine their ovaries and to a gynecologic oncologist to assess the need for surgery. Of the 3,200 women, eight had surgery. Three had early stage ovarian cancer (the others had benign or borderline tumors). There were virtually no false positives. Results of a larger study due in 2015 will tell us whether the new approach should be recommended for all older women. The strategy was described at a May 20 news conference in advance of the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.