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Researchers make headway in ovarian cancer detection, reports Harvard Women's Health Watch

April 2010

When it comes to ovarian cancer, silence can be deadly. About three-quarters of ovarian cancers are diagnosed after the cancer has quietly spread to other parts of the body, making treatment difficult. Researchers are slowly making headway in developing tests to identify ovarian cancer in its earlier, treatable stages, reports the April 2010 issue of Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

Detecting ovarian cancer early is tricky for many reasons. The ovaries are difficult to feel during a pelvic exam, making early-stage tumors hard to spot on a routine exam. Ovarian cancer doesn't start with any known precancerous lesion. And while ovarian cancer may produce telltale chemicals, such as cancer antigen 125 (CA-125), no biomarker specific to ovarian cancer has yet been identified. Taking ultrasound images of the ovaries via the vagina could potentially spot early ovarian tumors, but most ovarian tumors aren’t cancerous, and surgery is the only way to tell if a suspicious growth is cancerous or benign. Two trials are under way to find out if screening with ultrasound plus CA-125 testing improves survival, but the final results aren’t expected for several years.

Harvard Women’s Health Watch notes certain steps you can take for early detection:

Learn your risk. Family history and other factors influence the risk of ovarian cancer. Talk with your doctor to determine whether you are at low, moderate, or high risk.

Pay attention to symptoms. No matter what your risk, pay attention to new abdominal or pelvic symptoms that persist for a month or more. You know what’s normal for you. If you are concerned about something you are feeling, see your gynecologist.

Be watchful with high risk. For women at high risk of ovarian cancer, most experts recommend a CA-125 test and transvaginal ultrasound every six months. Some women at high risk have their ovaries removed, a procedure that is 90% effective in preventing cancer. The trade-off is that this makes it impossible to become pregnant without medical intervention.

Read full-length article: "Progress report on ovarian cancer screening"

Also in this issue of the Harvard Women's Health Watch

  • Yoga and female sexual function
  • Progress report on ovarian cancer screening
  • Tendon trouble in the hands: de Quervain's tenosynovitis and trigger finger
  • In the journals: New analysis supports expanded use of statins in women
  • In the journals: More studies find that regular exercise helps protect aging brains
  • In the journals: Yoga may help improve women's sexual function
  • By the way, doctor: Does laser treatment work for toenail fungus?

More Harvard Health News »

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Harvard Health Publications publishes four monthly newsletters--Harvard Health Letter, Harvard Women's Health Watch, Harvard Men's Health Watch, and Harvard Heart Letter--as well as more than 50 special health reports and books drawing on the expertise of the 8,000 faculty physicians at Harvard Medical School and its world-famous affiliated hospitals.