Possible Methods for Identifying Ovarian Cancer

If you have one or more risk factors for ovarian cancer, your doctor may use the following methods:

• Annual vaginal exam for women age 18 and older and annual rectovaginal exam for women age 35 and older. For this exam, a physician inserts fingers into the rectum and vagina simultaneously to feel for swelling and detect pain.
• Transvaginal ultrasound for women at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. A small ultrasound instrument is placed in the vagina. However, this method is not able to distinguish between benign and malignant tumors.
• Determination of CA-125 blood levels. CA-125 is a blood protein that is used as a tumor marker since it often becomes elevated in women who have ovarian cancer. However, its use as a screening tool for ovarian cancer is often unreliable because other noncancerous conditions can result in elevated CA-125 levels. Furthermore, the test fails to find half of all early-stage cancers and as many as 20 percent of late-stage cancers.

If any one of these tests proves positive, or if your physician suspects you may have ovarian cancer, a consultation with a gynecological oncologist (a gynecologist who specializes in cancers of the female reproductive tract) should be ordered. At this time, additional X-rays, scans or biopsies may be performed.

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