A new screening test for ovarian cancer can diagnose the disease long before women have any symptoms, research suggests.
 
New screening can pick up cancer earlier than it could previously be detected

The biggest ever study of its kind has shown that a combination of blood tests and ultrasound checks can pick up nearly all cases of ovarian cancer.

Scientists believe the finding could pave the way for an NHS screening programme for the disease, which affects nearly 7,000 women a year in the UK.

Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer, because there are no tell-tale symptoms and most women are diagnosed too late for treatment to be effective.

Professor Ian Jacobs, Director of the Institute for Women’s Health at University College London, said the research was “very exciting”.

He told Sky News: “The blood test picks up 89% of the women who develop ovarian cancer. That’s very encouraging.

“We have shown on a large scale that we can pick up the cancer earlier than it would otherwise have been detected, before they develop any symptoms.”

The researchers took annual blood samples from women to monitor a protein called CA125. Those with high or rapidly rising levels had an ultrasound scan to check their ovaries.

According to results published in the medical journal Lancet Oncology, more than half the cancers were detected at the earliest possible stage.

If cancer is detected before it has spread outside the ovary, 90% of cases are cured.

But currently 70% of women are diagnosed much later, when survival is less than 30%.
 
Francis Flaxington

Frances Flaxington went to her doctor with what she thought were period pains. Within a month she’d had a radical hysterectomy that saved her life. But her ovarian cancer was only diagnosed by chance. She says a screening test is vital.

“I think it’s very important because by the time many women are diagnosed it is simply too late and nothing can be done. So this early diagnosis is critical for people to survive and live well.”

The scientists still need to show that screening doesn’t cause undue anxiety in women who are wrongly told they may have ovarian cancer and are called for further checks.

Helen Haggertay, patient information manager and the ovarian cancer charity Ovacome, warned more research is needed.

“It is very exciting. But we should remember that it will be several more years before the final results can give us a good indication of whether screening can save lives.”

She said that in the meantime any women with persistent abdominal pain and bloating, and who can only eat small quantities, should see their doctor.

:: Those concerned can call the Ovacome Helpline on 0845 3710554.
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