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Ask the Expert: Ovarian Cancer: Why Awareness Matters

Often called the “silent killer,” ovarian cancer can be difficult to detect in its early stages because the symptoms are subtle. Bloating, pelvic pain, feeling full quickly, and frequent urination are among the most common signs, but they’re also symptoms that many women might dismiss or attribute to something else. Because of this, ovarian cancer is frequently diagnosed at a later stage, when treatment becomes more difficult. There is currently no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer, which is why awareness and early action are so important. Paying attention to changes in your body and speaking up when something feels off can make a significant difference. When detected early,…

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  USPSTF

The USPSTF recommends against screening for ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women. This recommendation applies to asymptomatic women who are not known to have a high-risk hereditary cancer syndrome.

  Ovarian Cancer Screening Isn't as Simple as Getting an Ultrasound

Ovarian cancer is one of those diseases you probably assume you’re being screened for when you go to your well-woman exams, but that’s not really the case. Ovarian cancer screening, in fact, isn't recommended at all for women at average risk for the condition, but that's not something that most people know. The whole topic even caused some confusion on daytime television recently, when Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo gave some questionable advice about ovarian cancer screening on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week. On the show, DeGeneres auctioned off a Starbucks date with Pompeo (with the proceeds going toward breast cancer research). One of the audience members who won said that she had a loved one who passed away from ovarian and breast cancer. Then, Pompeo took the mic and shared her advice.

 Screening and prevention of ovarian cancer

Earlier detection and significant downstaging of ovarian cancer have been demonstrated with multimodal screening in the largest randomised controlled trial of ovarian cancer screening in women at average population risk. However, none of the randomised trials have demonstrated a mortality benefit. Therefore, ovarian cancer screening is not currently recommended in women at average population risk. More frequent surveillance for ovarian cancer every three to four months in women at high risk has shown good performance characteristics and significant downstaging, but there is no available information on a survival benefit.

Articles of Interest

Can ovarian cancer screening work? A secondary analysis of the UK collaborative trial of ovarian cancer screening

The disappointment about screening for ovarian cancer has coincided with growing excitement about new biomarkers for cancer early detection based on liquid biopsy technologies. The new biomarkers will offer blood-based testing for a range of cancers, including ovarian cancer alone [9] or bundled with other cancers in multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests. Most new blood tests for cancer early detection are still at early phases of evaluation and remain to be studied in efficacy trials.

Most significant update to NICE Guidelines on ovarian cancer in 15 years

We know that the earlier ovarian cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances of successful treatment. That’s why the update to NICE guidelines is a positive step towards improving diagnosis. We welcome the recognition that CA125 should not be used in isolation for women 39 and under, but we need to see the same approach for all women, with CA125 and ultrasound undertaken at the same time regardless of age. With two-thirds of women currently diagnosed at a late stage, we urgently need further progress to change outcomes. Catherine Hart, Chief Executive of Target Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer blood test can detect disease early, study suggests

Test that uses machine learning to find signs of the disease in blood could significantly improve patient outcomes

Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer May Become Possible

Past efforts to find a screening method have focused on two tests: ultrasound examinations of the ovaries, and a blood test to measure CA125, a “tumor marker” sometimes linked to early-stage disease. But in previous studies, those tests did not work: They did not lower the death rate and they produced too many false-positive results that led healthy women to have unnecessary surgery. The Lancet study also used CA125, but in a different way.

FDA Warns Against Use of Ovarian Cancer Screening Tests

On Sept. 7, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned women and their doctors not to use widely marketed ovarian cancer screening tests because results of the tests are often inaccurate. The agency is especially concerned that use of these tests can lead some women who may have ovarian cancer to delay effective treatment and spur others who do not have cancer to undergo unnecessary diagnostic procedures and surgery.

Gene Wilder’s Other Legacy: His Fight Against Ovarian Cancer

She could be alive today if I knew then what I know now. Gilda might have been caught at a less-advanced stage if two things had been done: if she had been given a CA 125 blood test as soon as she described her symptoms to the doctors instead of 10 months later, and if the doctors had known the significance of asking her about her family’s history of ovarian cancer. But they didn’t. So Gilda went through the tortures of the damned and at the end, I felt robbed.

New blood screening may detect ovarian cancer two years before other methods

Ovarian cancer has a high mortality risk because it is so often diagnosed at a very late stage. In a new study, our team has shown that detection rates can be significantly improved by screening for a specific set of proteins in the bloodstream. This could mean detection of ovarian cancer up to two years before current screenings allow.

Ovarian Cancer Doesn’t Begin in the Ovaries, Researchers Say

Ovarian cancer begins with lesions in the fallopian tubes, which if treated early could prevent the cancer from spreading, researchers say.

Ovarian cancer: screening and future directions

It seems that screening tools for ovarian cancer are currently not worthwhile for implementation into a national program. An emphasis on reducing false positives rates, associated anxiety and subsequent overdiagnosis is needed.

Quarter of women with serous ovarian cancer could get earlier diagnosis – UK study

Currently, there is no national screening programme for ovarian cancer in the UK. Instead, since 2011 there is a testing programme called symptom triggered testing, which means that women who have symptoms such as bloating, bowel changes, appetite changes or abdominal pain should be prioritised for a blood test and ultrasound.

Report: Women Everywhere Don't Know Enough About Ovarian Cancer

A new study of women with ovarian cancer shows that ignorance about the condition is common among patients in all 44 countries surveyed. And that ignorance has a cost. The disease is more treatable, even potentially curable, in its early stages. The women's answers also suggested their doctors were ignorant. Many of them reported that diagnosis took a long time and that they weren't referred to proper specialists.

Screening healthy women for ovarian cancer shows first success

The screening test — for a blood protein linked to ovarian cancer — was far from perfect, failing to detect a large fraction of ovarian cancers and flagging as possible cancers some physiological changes that were benign, as scores of women found out after they had their ovaries surgically removed. Even more women whose ovarian cancer was detected early died anyway. But the finding that screening can avert one in five deaths from ovarian cancer, nevertheless, offered a long-sought ray of hope for a disease that kills some 60 percent of its victims within five years of diagnosis.

To Make Breast and Ovarian Cancer Tests More Affordable, Color Genomics Raises $15 Million

Ever heard of BRCA1 and BRCA2? You should.

Resources

2 Important Ovarian Cancer Symptoms That Shouldn't Be Ignored

While there are several signs of the disease, Streicher says two in particular have been found to be important: Persistent abdominal bloating and urinating more than usual. Streicher acknowledges that the symptoms are "really vague," but says the degree to which a woman experiences them is important.

Target Ovarian Cancer

We’re targeting what’s important – symptoms awareness, life-saving early diagnosis, better treatments and support for everyone affected by ovarian cancer.

Aspira

At ASPIRA Women's Health we strive to globally transform women's health, starting with ovarian cancer.

Bright Pink

Bright Pink helps to save lives from breast and ovarian cancer by empowering women to know their risk and manage their health proactively.

Color

Color analyzes 30 genes—including BRCA1 and BRCA2—to help women and men understand their risk for the most common hereditary cancers, including breast, ovarian, colon, and pancreatic cancer. Complimentary genetic counseling is included.