BLOOD TEST SPOTS OVARIAN CANCER
ASIMPLE new blood test could become a game-changer in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer! A team of researchers from three British universities found a type of blood protein — human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) — may help identify the deadly disease faster and more accurately.
“Ovarian cancer is notoriously difficult to diagnose at an early stage as symptoms are often nonspecific, including bloating, pain and feeling full quickly after eating,” says Manchester University’s Dr. Garth Funston.
“Our findings are especially exciting as there has been little progress over the years towards developing more accurate testing for use in primary care.”
Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women in the U.S., and the American Cancer Society estimates about 13,000 die annually from the disease. Only one in five ovarian cancers are found at an early stage — when treatment enables 94 percent of patients to live longer than five years after diagnosis. Currently, gals with suspected ovarian cancer may undergo a blood test to measure the protein CA125. A high level can indicate cancer, but it may also be caused by uterine fibroids, endometriosis and pregnancy. Nine in ten women with elevated CA125 levels do not have ovarian cancer, but many only find out after undergoing
biopsies.
Meanwhile, some ovarian cancers can be missed if CA125 levels are low.
But the new study found HE4 levels, analyzed within
an algorithm with the CA125 test, greatly
the cancer, especially in women younger than 50. “The potential impact of this research is significant,” says Professor David Williams of University
College London. “Giving general practitioners the ability to detect potential cases more quickly is vital for women’s treatment, care and survival.”
Larger scale studies have been recommended to confirm the findings.