Search is Powered by Google
Ovarian Cancer News

Blood Test For Ovarian Cancer

Main Category: Ovarian Cancer
Article Date: 10 May 2005 - 9:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:3 stars

3 (4 votes)

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

Researchers have developed a blood screening test that could help catch ovarian cancer in its early stages, when few symptoms are present.

Ovarian cancer, the leading cause of gynecologic cancer deaths in the U.S. and 3 times more lethal than breast cancer, is usually not diagnosed until its advanced stages. Clinicians currently have no sensitive screening method because the disease shows few symptoms in its early stages.

David Ward and colleagues developed and tested a blood test for ovarian cancer based on four proteins: leptin, prolactin, osteopontin, and insulin-like growth factor-II. If the level of two or more of these biomarkers for a patient falls within a certain range, the test will predict that a tumor is present. In a test group of more than 200 healthy women and women with ovarian cancer, the test showed 95% sensitivity (fraction correctly diagnosed with cancer) and 95% specificity (fraction correctly diagnosed as cancer-free). Each of the proteins had been previously suggested as an accurate cancer biomarker, though not as a set. In this study, no single protein could completely distinguish the cancer patients from healthy control individuals.

PNAS highlights for the week of May 9 - 13

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is the multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences. Founded in 1914, PNAS publishes daily online and weekly in print. The preceding highlights are not intended to substitute for articles as sources of information. The articles in PNAS report original research by independent authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Academy of Sciences or the National Research Council.

Contact: Leikny Johnson
PNASNews@nas.edu
202-334-1310
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
http://www.pnas.org


Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Opioid Induced Constipation ADHD Anxiety Asthma Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles All 'How To...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
Danger Of Smear Test Confusion After Jade Goody's Death, UK
03 Apr 2009
Thousands of women are rushing to book cervical smear tests in the wake of Jade Goody's recent tragic death at the age of 27 to ensure they don't fall victim to cancer. But research has shown there is a danger that many...


Unusual Tumors in the Ovary image Unusual Tumors in the Ovary

Irene used to get red-faced at parties. But it wasn't until her doctor made the connection between her irregular periods and her flushing that she learned she had carcinoid syndrome...

Talking with Your Doctor image Talking with Your Doctor

Talking with your doctor can sometimes be difficult. Good health care, however, depends on an open dialogue between patients and doctors...

View more videos...