A simple blood test followed by ultrasound exams as needed may help detect ovarian cancer tumors before they cause symptoms, according to a small study reported yesterday.
The current method for detecting ovarian cancer is the CA-125 protein test, says Dr. Ross. Unfortunately, it is not very useful for finding cancer at an early enough stage to effectively treat it. This new approach essentially adding a pelvic sonogram if the blood test is elevated is still based on CA-125, so it s not a breakthrough by any means, but any method that allows doctors to detect ovarian cancer earlier is an improvement.