Hope for ovarian cancer?

By Robert Bazell, NBC Chief Science and Health Correspondent

Tonight we report on some very exciting results about what could become a routine method for early detection of ovarian cancer. The research, from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, will be presented early next month at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncolology (ASCO).

Every year, 21,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with ovarian cancer; almost 15,000 die from it. The major reason for the high death rate is that the cancer is almost always detected at later stages, when treatment is very difficult. But if caught early, ovarian cancer can usually be cured completely.

Until now, there have been no easy methods for early detection of ovarian cancer. The problem is compounded bysymptoms, which are often vague and can easily be dismissed. Scientists have been searching for cutting-edge molecular technology to find ovarian cancer earlier, and although those searches may pay off, but so far they haven't.

There are two older methods for screening: A blood test for a protein called CA-125 and transvaginal ultrasound. The blood test has proven to be too non-specific, and the ultrasound all too often produces false positives that lead to unnecessary surgery. What scientists did in this latest study is combine the two approaches, giving women a CA-125 blood test yearly. If it goes up--according to an amount determined by a formula that includes the woman's age and family history--she is sent for an ultrasound. If the ultrasound finds something suspicious, only then is surgery performed.

In this latest study of 3252 women, only 85 received ultrasounds over nine years. Of those 85, only eight got surgery. Five of the eight had early stage ovarian cancer, and are all doing fine. Two had benign ovarian tumors, and only one was a false positive.

The idea is that someday soon, women will get routine CA-125 tests on an annual basis when they get pap tests--and if there is a rising level they will get the surgery.

Why is that not recommended now? Doctors are awaiting the results of a study of 200,000 women in the United Kingdom that should show for certain whether the technique works and whether it saves lives. Those results will come out in a few years.

Is there anything to prevent doctors from using the technology now? No, as long as doctors and their patients understand that it has not been proven to save lives--even though it looks very promising.

Doctors or patients with questions about the study can ask them at: www.mdanderson.org/ASK