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In the UK, trials are now taking place to see whether screening can detect ovarian cancer early.
If your family history suggests you have a higher than average risk of getting ovarian cancer you may be able to be tested (screened) every so often to look for early signs of the disease. However, it is not clear at present how often you should be screened and how effective this is.
In the UK, trials are also looking at whether it is worth screening the general population. (This means screening women with no family history of ovarian cancer.)
The results of these trials will not be known for some time.
Screening may involve:
A blood test to look for a substance called CA125
Most ovarian cancer cells make a chemical called CA125. It gets into the bloodstream and can be found through a blood test. Doctors call this type of chemical a tumour marker.
Women with ovarian cancer tend to have a raised level of CA125 in their blood.
It is not, however, a foolproof test. For example, not all women with ovarian cancer have raised CA125. Only about half of women with early ovarian cancer have raised CA125. Women with other conditions (eg endometriosis) may have raised CA125.
Ultrasound scan
This test uses sound waves to build a picture of the inside of the body. You lie on your back while a probe (a device like a microphone) is passed over the abdomen. The sound waves make pictures of the internal organs on a computer screen. Your doctor may want to carry out a transvaginal ultrasound to get a better picture. For this, a probe is placed gently inside the vagina.
