A new blood test for ovarian cancer has been found to detect twice as many cases as conventional methods, according to results published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that could lead to national screening.
The groundbreaking trial, carried out over 14 years, correctly diagnosed 86 per cent of cases of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer.
Ovarian tumours emit high levels of a chemical called CA125, which is already used as a test if patients have symptoms. The conventional screening method uses a fixed ‘cut-off’ point for CA125. Previous trials have identified the conventional method identifies approximately 41% of cases.
In the trial annual blood tests were carried out on post-menopausal women aged 50 and over across 13 NHS trusts. Changes in the levels of CA125 were tracked over time, giving a more accurate prediction of a woman’s individual risk of developing cancer. If levels became elevated then the women were sent for further tests including an ultrasound scan.
The new test could change the way doctors screen for ovarian cancer in the UK. Trial coordinator Professor Usha Menon, Professor of Gynaecological Cancer at the UCL Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute of Women’s Health said: "There is currently no national screening programme for ovarian cancer, as research to date has been unable to provide enough evidence that any one method would improve early detection of tumours. These results are therefore very encouraging. They show that use of an early detection strategy based on an individual's CA125 profile significantly improved cancer detection compared to what we've seen in previous screening trials".
The trial was part of the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS), the largest trial of its kind for ovarian cancer screening which is led by UCL. The researchers will need to wait until later this year when the final analysis of the trial is completed to know whether the cancers detected through screening were caught early enough to save lives. Professor Menon said: It's good, but the truth lies in whether we've picked up the cancer early enough to save lives, we hope we have. There is no screening at the moment so we are awaiting the results before the NHS can decide. Many people would have to be screened so it really needs to translate to lives saved."
The trial's chief investigator, Professor Ian Jacobs, honorary UCL Professor of Gynaecological Cancer and the first director of our BRC, helped develop the CA125-tracking technique. Professor Jacobs said: "The early results show the method can be an accurate and sensitive screening tool, my hope is that when the results of the trial are available this approach will prove capable of detecting ovarian cancer early enough to save lives".
UKCTOCS is the world’s largest ovarian cancer screening trial, led by UCL and funded by the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Department of Health and The Eve Appeal.
