The potential and problems of screening for ovarian cancer

Screening for ovarian cancer using tumor markers is simple but often associated with an increased rate of false negatives and a low rate of detection of early stage cancers. The transvaginal ultrasonic method, on the other hand, detects an increased number of Stage I cancers (about 70% of the total cancers detected), but it takes time. Our method is performed in a short time and is most suitable as a screening method. Although there is no established assessment of ovarian cancer screening, we have outlined the potential and the problems associated with it based on the reports published to date and the results of our study.

[1] Yokoyama Y., Sakamoto T., Sato S., Saito Y.: "Evaluation of cytoreductive surgery with pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy and intermittent cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy for improvement of long-term survival in ovarian cancer". Eur. J. Gynaecol. Oneal., 1999, 20, 361.

[2] Vuento M.H., Pirhonen J.P., Makinen J.I., Laippala P.J., Gronroos M., Salmi T.A.: "Evaluation of ovarian findings in asymptomatic postmenopausal women with color Doppler ultrasound". Cancer, 1995, 76, 1214.

[3] Adonakis G.L., Paraskevaidis E., Tsiga S., Seferiadis K., Lolis D.E.: "A combined approach for the early detection of ovanan cancer In asymptomatic women". Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Reprod. Biol., 1996, 65, 221.

[4] Jacobs I.J., Skates S.J., Davies A.P., Woolas R.P., Jeyarajah A.R., Weidemann P. et al.: "Risk of diagnosis of ovarian cancer after raised serum CA 125 concentration: a prospective cohort study". Br. Med. J., 1996, 313, 1355.

[5] Jacobs I.J., Skates S.J, MacDonald N., Menon U., Rosenthal A.N., Davies A.P. et al.: "Screening for ovarian cancer: a pilot randomized controlled trial". Lancet, 1999, 353, 1207.

[6] van Nagell. Jr., J.R., DePriest P.D., Reedy M.B., Gallion H.H., Ueland F.R., Pavlik E.J., Kryscio R.J.: "The efficacy of transvaginal sonographic screening in asymptomatic women at risk for ovarian cancer". Gynecol. Oncol., 2000, 77, 350.

[7] Sato S., Yokoyama Y., Sakamoto T., Futagami M., Saito Y.: "Usefulness of mass screening for ovarian cancer using transvaginal ultrasonography". Cancer, 2000, 89, 582.

[8] Macky S.E., Creasnman W.T.: "Ovarian cancer screening". J. Clin. Oneal., 1995, 13, 783.

[9] NIH consensus conference.: "Ovarian cancer screening, treatment, and follow-up. NIH consensus development panel on ovarian cancer" JAMA,1995, 273, 491.

[10] Pavlik E.J., van Nagell, Jr., J.R., DePriest P.D., Wheeler L., Tatman J.M., Boone M. et al.: "Participation in transvaginal ovanan cancer screening: compliance, correlation factors, and costs". Gynecol. Oneal., 1995, 57, 395.