Screening Does Not Reduce Ovarian Cancer Mortality

Screening with transvaginal ultrasound and CA-125 measurement does not reduce ovarian cancer mortality, according to results from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial published in JAMA.


Some 78,000 women aged 55 to 74 without histories of ovarian cancer were randomized to usual care, or to screening with annual transvaginal ultrasound for 4 years and annual CA-125 blood testing for up to 6 years. During roughly 12 years' follow-up, the primary endpoint — ovarian cancer mortality — did not differ between the groups.


Roughly 3000 women had false-positive results on screening, one third of whom had surgery (e.g., oophorectomy) as part of the diagnostic evaluation. Among these, the rate of major surgical complications was 21 per 100 procedures.
=Just wondering if transvaginal ultrasound and CA-125 measurement will decrease or stop. Cynics doubt it