October 18, 2023 – A groundbreaking recent test for ovarian cancer could provide the primary technique to detect the disease before it progresses to potentially fatal later stages.
The recent blood test was 91% accurate in detecting high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), essentially the most common kind of ovarian cancer Results published within the magazine this month Clinical cancer research. HGSOC has a 5-year survival rate of 40% or less when diagnosed in later stages, the authors said, noting that the disease has progressed beyond stage I on the time of diagnosis in about 85% of girls.
Biopsies should not an option for diagnosing such a cancer and most of the people don’t have any symptoms. The recent test could help doctors choose treatments, similar to whether chemotherapy before surgery can be helpful, and it could also help surgeons determine the likelihood of operating on a cancerous or benign mass.
HGSOC is believed to grow slowly at first, starting within the fallopian tubes, and might take as much as 6½ years to achieve the ovaries, the study said Cleveland Clinic. Once it reaches the ovaries, it spreads more quickly.
The study compared blood and tissue samples from healthy people and other people with HGSOC, in addition to individuals with other health problems similar to uterine or cervical cancer, to find out the test's accuracy, including measuring false positive and false negative rates . In total, the researchers analyzed 59 tissue samples and 344 blood samples.
The next step is a bigger follow-up study with lots of of patients to validate the outcomes. According to a, the test could possibly be commercially available inside two years Press release from the Keck School of Medicine on the University of Southern California, where the researchers work.
The test, called OvaPrint, has the potential for use as a screening tool for ovarian cancer in the overall population.
“Early detection saves lives,” study creator Bodour Salhia, PhD, associate professor and interim head of the Department of Translational Genomics on the medical school, said in an announcement. “If we can accurately detect ovarian cancer in its early stages, we can change the course of the disease and significantly increase survival rates.”