Ovarian cancer screens aren't that effective, study finds
Friday, July 8, 2011 | 12:01 am
This is one medical study with results you don't expect to hear: health screens for ovarian cancer aren't that effective.
The question the study tried to answer was whether women who received ultra sound and a blood test to detect early stages of ovarian cancer were at lower risk for dying from the disease. Nearly 80,000 women, 55 to 74 years old, participated in the study.
The results found that the women who received the screenings didn't have reduced rates from death from ovarian cancer. That may be because it progresses rapidly through its early stages, so yearly screening isn't that effective.
The study was published in the June 8 issues of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In the United States, ovarian cancer is among the five leading causes of cancer death in American women. Most women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with advanced stage disease, which has a 5-year survival of only 30 percent.
Look for an upcoming story on this topic in The Herald.
The question the study tried to answer was whether women who received ultra sound and a blood test to detect early stages of ovarian cancer were at lower risk for dying from the disease. Nearly 80,000 women, 55 to 74 years old, participated in the study.
The results found that the women who received the screenings didn't have reduced rates from death from ovarian cancer. That may be because it progresses rapidly through its early stages, so yearly screening isn't that effective.
The study was published in the June 8 issues of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In the United States, ovarian cancer is among the five leading causes of cancer death in American women. Most women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with advanced stage disease, which has a 5-year survival of only 30 percent.
Look for an upcoming story on this topic in The Herald.
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