New ovarian cancer screening shows promise
pharmafile | August 27, 2013 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | ovarian cancer, screening
A new screening process for ovarian cancer is showing encouraging results, according to researchers in the US.
In a trial conducted at the University of Texas, more than 4,000 women were periodically screened over an average period of 11 years each.
Participants’ blood samples were tested for levels of the protein CA125 – a known indicator for ovarian cancer. Based on these results, high-risk subjects underwent ultrasound scans to search for tumours. Medium- and low-risk patients were tested again in three months and one year, respectively.
As it stands, a CA125 blood test is used in isolation to identify ovarian cancer. On its own, however, it can lead to unreliable or misleading results.
Researchers made use of the risk of ovarian cancer algorithm (ROCA), a diagnostic tool developed by study author Steven Skates to analyse blood samples. It was hoped the combination of this statistical technique with follow-up scans would improve screening reliability.
Lead researcher Karen Lu said that, although results are ‘not practice-changing’ at this point, the process ‘may be beneficial’ in post-menopausal women at average risk of developing ovarian cancer.
All eyes will now turn to a British investigation of the screening technique, involving a much larger sample of 50,000 women. The study is funded by Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and the NHS, with results expected in 2015.
The survival rate for ovarian cancer is 90% if the disease is discovered at an early stage. However, detection can be difficult as symptoms such as bloating and abdominal pain are often attributed to other, more common ailments.
When identified in its later stages, the survival rate drops to 30%. In the UK, 12 women die every day as a result of the disease – a mortality rate that has remained consistent over the last two decades.
No large-scale ovarian cancer screening process exists and researchers are hoping the results of these studies can lead to the development of an effective new system.
Lu said: “I’m cautiously optimistic that in the not too distant future, we may be able to offer a screening method that can detect the disease in its earliest, curable stages and make a difference in the lives of women with this now-devastating disease.”
Hugh McCafferty
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