Ultrasound + Proteomic Blood Analyses May Help Physicians Diagnose Early-Stage Ovarian Cancer

Noninvasive contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, combined with proteomic analyses of blood samples may help physicians identify early-stage ovarian cancer and save the lives of many women, according to an article published in the February issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. Proteomics is the study of proteins, particularly their structure and function.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death. More than 21,500 women annually are diagnosed with the disease. Each year, nearly 15,000 women die from ovarian cancer. More than two-thirds of these patients (67 percent) are diagnosed at an advanced-stage. If early-stage ovarian cancer is detected, survival is greater than 90 percent (compared to 30 percent for advanced-stage disease).

“The fact that so many women are not diagnosed until their disease is advanced confirms the inadequacy of pelvic examinations and standard ultrasound in detecting early-stage ovarian cancer and the dire need for a validated screening method for the detection of early-stage disease,” said David A. Fishman, MD, lead author of the article. “The ability to detect ovarian cancer by a simple blood test has long been the holy grail of screening tests. Although a single biomarker blood test would be ideal and simple, it is not possible at present,” said Fishman.

source: ARRS