UK researchers report this week in the journal Lancet Oncology that two screening tests may help detect ovarian cancer at an early stage when it is still treatable. The finding could help save thousands of women each year because currently, most cases of ovarian cancer are not detected until the cancer has already spread. The survival rate for ovarian cancer detected in the early stage is nearly 90 percent; if detected only after it spreads, it is 30 percent or less.

Scientists have long sought an adequate screening test for ovarian cancer to catch early cases of this disease that kills 100,000 women each year worldwide. In the present study, the researchers evaluated the use of a blood test called CA 125 and ultrasound imaging to screen for ovarian cancer in a group of 200,000 postmenopausal women. Half of the women received no screening, while 50,000 were screened using both the blood test and ultrasound, and 50,000 got ultrasound alone.

The results showed that blood test and ultrasound together detected 89 percent of ovarian cancers, while with ultrasound alone the rate was about 75 percent. Nearly half of these cancers were detected in stage I or II – the earliest stages – in which treatment can be effective up to 90 percent of the time. Without screening, only 15 percent of ovarian cancers are caught early. The study is ongoing to determine if this difference in detection rates translates to a difference in survival among women in the study.

While the initial results are promising, the researchers caution people to wait for the final results regarding survival before passing judgment. If the screening methods dramatically improve survival from this deadly cancer, then medical organizations and policymakers can consider instituting ovarian cancer screening as part of routine health care for older women. However, if the difference is only minor, it may not be cost effective to screen millions of people for such modest gains.

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_{Photo: sectionz, Flickr, Creative Commons}