Ovarian Cancer Screening Technique Doubles Detection Rates
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 18 May 2015 |
|
Image: Histopathology of a Brenner tumor, a type of surface epithelial-stromal tumor, which may be benign or malignant, depending on whether the tumor cells invade the surrounding ovarian tissue (Photo courtesy of Nephron).
A risk algorithm using serial biomarker measurements doubles the number of screen-detected ovarian cancers compared to a single threshold rule.
The new screening method involves the interpretation of changes in levels a specific protein associated with ovarian cancer, in women's blood. The conventional ovarian cancer screening method uses a fixed "cut-off" point for the specific protein, meaning that the new method is able to predict a woman's individual risk of developing cancer with greater accuracy.
Scientists at University College London (UK) and their colleagues studied a total of 202,638 post-menopausal women aged 50 and over participated in United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS), and were randomly assigned to receive either annual multimodal screening, transvaginal ultrasound or no test at all. They followed up followed up 46,237 women who continued to receive annual multimodal screening. Each participant would have their carcinoma antigen 125 (CA125) levels tested annually over the course of 14 years.
The scientists calculated their risk of ovarian cancer according to the woman's age, their original CA125 levels and how those levels had changed over time. The risk of ovarian cancer was then estimated by comparing the serial pattern with known cases of cancer and controls. Within the group of women receiving multimodal screening, 640 had surgery for suspected cancer. Of these, 133 had invasive epithelial ovarian cancers. Another 22 women were diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer within one year of their final annual screen. The team found that found that the new method detected cancer in 86% of women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer compared with conventional methods used in prior trials or clinical practice that could identify only 41% and 48% respectively. Encouragingly, it ruled out almost 100% of women who were cancer-free. This means these women would not undergo unnecessary further investigation and surgery.
Ian J. Jacobs BA, MA, MBBS, MD, FRCOG, a professor at the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia) explained: “CA125 as a biological marker for ovarian cancer has been called into question. Our findings indicate that this can be an accurate and sensitive screening tool, when used in the context of a woman's pattern of CA125 over time. What's normal for one woman may not be so for another. It is the change in levels of this protein that's important.” The study was published on May 4, 2015, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Related Links:
University College London
University of New South Wales
The new screening method involves the interpretation of changes in levels a specific protein associated with ovarian cancer, in women's blood. The conventional ovarian cancer screening method uses a fixed "cut-off" point for the specific protein, meaning that the new method is able to predict a woman's individual risk of developing cancer with greater accuracy.
Scientists at University College London (UK) and their colleagues studied a total of 202,638 post-menopausal women aged 50 and over participated in United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS), and were randomly assigned to receive either annual multimodal screening, transvaginal ultrasound or no test at all. They followed up followed up 46,237 women who continued to receive annual multimodal screening. Each participant would have their carcinoma antigen 125 (CA125) levels tested annually over the course of 14 years.
The scientists calculated their risk of ovarian cancer according to the woman's age, their original CA125 levels and how those levels had changed over time. The risk of ovarian cancer was then estimated by comparing the serial pattern with known cases of cancer and controls. Within the group of women receiving multimodal screening, 640 had surgery for suspected cancer. Of these, 133 had invasive epithelial ovarian cancers. Another 22 women were diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer within one year of their final annual screen. The team found that found that the new method detected cancer in 86% of women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer compared with conventional methods used in prior trials or clinical practice that could identify only 41% and 48% respectively. Encouragingly, it ruled out almost 100% of women who were cancer-free. This means these women would not undergo unnecessary further investigation and surgery.
Ian J. Jacobs BA, MA, MBBS, MD, FRCOG, a professor at the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia) explained: “CA125 as a biological marker for ovarian cancer has been called into question. Our findings indicate that this can be an accurate and sensitive screening tool, when used in the context of a woman's pattern of CA125 over time. What's normal for one woman may not be so for another. It is the change in levels of this protein that's important.” The study was published on May 4, 2015, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Related Links:
University College London
University of New South Wales
Gold Member
Quality Control Material
iPLEX Pro Exome QC Panel
New
Gold Member
Automated MALDI-TOF MS System
EXS 3000
Gram-Negative Blood Culture Assay
LIAISON PLEX Gram-Negative Blood Culture Assay
Latest Clinical Chem. News
- VOCs Show Promise for Early Multi-Cancer Detection
- Portable Raman Spectroscopy Offers Cost-Effective Kidney Disease Diagnosis at POC
- Gold Nanoparticles to Improve Accuracy of Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis
- Simultaneous Cell Isolation Technology Improves Cancer Diagnostic Accuracy
- Simple Non-Invasive Hair-Based Test Could Speed ALS Diagnosis
- Paper Strip Saliva Test Detects Elevated Uric Acid Levels Without Blood Draws
- Prostate Cancer Markers Based on Chemical Make-Up of Calcifications to Speed Up Detection
- Breath Test Could Help Detect Blood Cancers
- ML-Powered Gas Sensors to Detect Pathogens and AMR at POC
- Saliva-Based Cancer Detection Technology Eliminates Need for Complex Sample Preparation
- Skin Swabs Could Detect Parkinson’s Years Before Symptoms Appear
- New Clinical Chemistry Analyzer Designed to Meet Growing Demands of Modern Labs
- New Reference Measurement Procedure Standardizes Nucleic Acid Amplification Test Results
- Pen-Like Tool Quickly and Non-Invasively Detects Opioids from Skin
- Simple Urine Test Could Detect Multiple Cancers at Early Stage
- Earwax Test Accurately Detects Parkinson’s by Identifying Odor Molecules
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
VOCs Show Promise for Early Multi-Cancer Detection
Early cancer detection is critical to improving survival rates, but most current screening methods focus on individual cancer types and often involve invasive procedures. This makes it difficult to identify... Read more
Portable Raman Spectroscopy Offers Cost-Effective Kidney Disease Diagnosis at POC
Kidney disease is typically diagnosed through blood or urine tests, often when patients present with symptoms such as blood in urine, shortness of breath, or weight loss. While these tests are common,... Read more
Molecular Diagnostics
view channel
Urine Test Detects Early Stage Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer remains among the hardest cancers to detect early. In the UK, around 10,000 people are diagnosed each year, but only 5% survive beyond five years. Late diagnosis is a major factor—more... Read more
Genomic Test Could Reduce Lymph Node Biopsy Surgery in Melanoma Patients
Accurately determining whether melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes is crucial for guiding treatment decisions, yet the standard procedure—sentinel lymph node biopsy—remains invasive, costly, and unnecessary... Read more
Hematology
view channel
ADLM’s New Coagulation Testing Guidance to Improve Care for Patients on Blood Thinners
Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are one of the most common types of blood thinners. Patients take them to prevent a host of complications that could arise from blood clotting, including stroke, deep... Read more
Viscoelastic Testing Could Improve Treatment of Maternal Hemorrhage
Postpartum hemorrhage, severe bleeding after childbirth, remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide, yet many of these deaths are preventable. Standard care can be hindered by delays... Read more
Pioneering Model Measures Radiation Exposure in Blood for Precise Cancer Treatments
Scientists have long focused on protecting organs near tumors during radiotherapy, but blood — a vital, circulating tissue — has largely been excluded from dose calculations. Each blood cell passing through... Read more
Immunology
view channel
Blood-Based Liquid Biopsy Model Analyzes Immunotherapy Effectiveness
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer care by harnessing the immune system to fight tumors, yet predicting who will benefit remains a major challenge. Many patients undergo costly and taxing treatment... Read more
Signature Genes Predict T-Cell Expansion in Cancer Immunotherapy
Modern cancer immunotherapies rely on the ability of CD8⁺ T cells to rapidly multiply within tumors, generating the immune force needed to eliminate cancer cells. However, the biological triggers behind... Read more
Microbiology
view channel
High-Throughput Enteric Panels Detect Multiple GI Bacterial Infections from Single Stool Swab Sample
Gastrointestinal (GI) infections are among the most common causes of illness worldwide, leading to over 1.7 million deaths annually and placing a heavy burden on healthcare systems. Conventional diagnostic... Read more
Fast Noninvasive Bedside Test Uses Sugar Fingerprint to Detect Fungal Infections
Candida bloodstream infections are a growing global health threat, causing an estimated 6 million cases and 3.8 million deaths annually. Hospitals are particularly vulnerable, as weakened patients after... Read more
Technology
view channel
Cell-Sorting Device Uses Electromagnetic Levitation to Precisely Direct Cell Movement
Sorting different cell types—such as cancerous versus healthy or live versus dead cells—is a critical task in biology and medicine. However, conventional methods often require labeling, chemical exposure,... Read more
Embedded GPU Platform Enables Rapid Blood Profiling for POC Diagnostics
Blood tests remain a cornerstone of medical diagnostics, but traditional imaging and analysis methods can be slow, costly, and reliant on dyes or contrast agents. Now, scientists have developed a real-time,... Read more
Industry
view channel
Qiagen Acquires Single-Cell Omics Firm Parse Biosciences
QIAGEN (Venlo, Netherlands) has entered into a definitive agreement to fully acquire Parse Biosciences (Seattle, WA, USA), a provider of scalable, instrument-free solutions for single-cell research.... Read more
Puritan Medical Products Showcasing Innovation at AMP2025 in Boston
Puritan Medical Products (Guilford, ME, USA), the world’s most trusted manufacturer of swabs and specimen collection devices, is set to exhibit at AMP2025 in Boston, Massachusetts, from November 11–15.... Read more
Advanced Instruments Merged Under Nova Biomedical Name
Advanced Instruments (Norwood, MA, USA) and Nova Biomedical (Waltham, MA, USA) are now officially doing business under a single, unified brand. This transformation is expected to deliver greater value... Read more
