New Test for Ovarian Cancer

For those of you considering ovarian removal as a preventative measure for ovarian cancer (as the sole reason) may have another option in keeping a watchful eye on the ovaries should you decide to keep them:

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WHAT IS OVARIAN CANCER? Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor that can begin in one or both ovaries. The ovaries are located within the abdominal cavity, where they are difficult to feel. Early stage ovarian cancer produces few symptoms. Even in later stages, symptoms are so vague that many patients simply ignore them. Some of the most common symptoms are bloating, swelling in the abdomen, feeling of fullness, nausea, gas and indigestion. Often, by the time a patient feels or senses that a problem exists, most malignant ovarian tumors have spread to other areas within the abdomen. Approximately 75 percent of all ovarian cancers are diagnosed at stage 3. WHO IS AT RISK? Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women in the United States. Every female born in the United States has a 1 in 55 risk of developing ovarian cancer in her lifetime. Risk factors for ovarian cancer include age, reproductive history, diagnosis of breast cancer (some women who develop breast cancer also develop ovarian cancer) and family history. Ovarian cancer is more common in women over age 60, but often occurs in women with a family history before or during their early 40s. Women with two or more first-degree (mother, sister, daughter) or second-degree (grandmother, aunt) relatives who have had ovarian cancer have up to a 50 percent risk of developing the disease. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other type of gynecological cancer and accounts for 5 percent of all cancer deaths among women. FUTURE SCREENING TEST? Researchers at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa are working to develop a screening test for ovarian cancer. The study is based on a pilot study from the Cleveland Clinic. That study found that out of 48 study participants with ovarian cancer, all had higher levels of a substance called lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in their blood as compared to healthy women. LPA was first discovered in the pelvic fluid of women with ovarian cancer. In the larger study being conducted at Moffitt, researchers hope to prove that a simple blood test for the presence of LPA can be used as an effective screening tool for ovarian cancer OTHER SCREENING METHODS? Currently, there is no screening method for ovarian cancer. Pap smears are used for detecting cervical cancers, not ovarian cancer. A pelvic examination can pick up an ovarian enlargement. A transvaginal sonogram (TVS) can be used, but while the TVS can identify masses on the ovary, it cannot distinguish between tumors that are cancerous and those that are not. Elevated levels of the protein CA-125 have been associated with ovarian cancer, but CA-125 levels are also elevated in a number of harmless conditions, like early pregnancy and endometriosis. Also, the levels do not record as elevated until the later stages of ovarian cancer.

Thanks so much for this and for your diligent efforts to keep us informed and up to date. I have added this thread to my favorites to share with others.

You are very special! This information will help so many women.

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kaatie