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Ovarian
Cancer Screening
Ovarian Cancer is the 4th most common cause of death from cancer
in women. This is because it can grow from the ovary directly into
the abdomen of the woman without her experiencing any obvious symptoms
hence its name 'The Silent Cancer'.
A few ovarian cancers (about 5-10%) have a hereditary basis and
occur within high-risk families. Most cancers are however sporadic
and have no known cause although we know that infertility is frequently
associated with the development of these cancers and prolonged usage
of the oral contraceptive pill appears to be protective.
There are 2 ways of screening for ovarian cancer:
| 1) |
Regular
ultrasound scanning of the ovaries
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| 2) |
Regular
blood testing for Ovarian Cancer Antigens, such as CA 125.
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The
main purpose of screening is to detect the cancer at the very early
stage of development before it has spread from the ovary (stage1)
and in these circumstances the cure rate following detection at
this stage is over 90%. Ultrasound appears to be effective at early
stage diagnosis and in most published screening studies using ultrasound
the majority of cancers were detected at stage 1. However many experts
believe that blood biochemistry is equally important and the medical
research council has lodged a major multi-centre study in the UK
to find out how many lives would be saved by ovarian cancer screening
and whether ultrasound or CA 125 testing is the more effective.
The only real down side to ultrasound screening is that frequently
ovarian cysts will be found that are benign and if the images are
not assessed properly a non-necessary operation will be recommended.
The Doctors at Create Health have special expertise in screening
for ovarian cancer (see profile of Professor Campbell) and offer
a comprehensive check using both the very latest ultrasound and
biochemical markers, including CA 125.
Ovarian Cancer screening is especially valuable in women who:
| 1) |
have
a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer or who are
known to have abnormalities of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene.
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| 2) |
have
a long history of infertility or have had prolonged usage of
fertility
drugs, such as Clomiphene or gonadotrophin.
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