Private MD News

Early screening key for ovarian cancer

Category: Ovarian

The chair of a national nonprofit group stated early detection is vitally important for women with ovarian cancer, especially when most come in for treatment after it's too late.

Dr. Robert J. Morgan, chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, said the major challenge in treating the disease was that by the time the majority of patients are diagnosed with the condition, the cancer has progressed to stage III or IV.

"We have not yet found a good way to screen the general population or even the high-risk population of women for ovarian cancer," Morgan said.

The doctor added that the future of the disease "lies in early detection and improvements in screening."

Ovarian cancer forms in tissues of the ovary and can develop in women with various risk factors. Half of all ovarian cancer patients are women who are 63 years and older, according to Cancer.org. The website also pointed to women suffering from obesity and who have not had children as having an increased risk of developing the disease.

Lab tests can help women detect the cancer earlier, which gives doctors more options in terms of treatment.