Screening tests may not be enough to treat patients suffering from ovarian cancer. A latest research asserts that present day screening tests can only slightly reduce ovarian cancer deaths. It was affirmed that strategies other than screening, like prevention and better treatments can significantly lower the number of women who die from ovarian cancer.
Investigators crafted a computer-based model showing the progression of ovarian cancer from early to late stages. As compared to other forms of cancers, ovarian cancer supposedly grows slowly. The model is apparently capable of testing the effectiveness of screening strategies for reducing ovarian cancer deaths. Annual screening for ovarian cancer reportedly is likely to result in only a modest decrease of mortality from the disease. If ovarian cancers grow and spread at different rates, the best screening strategy available may decline the number of women dying by 11 percent.
Most early stage ovarian cancers are probably destined to remain in the early stages for some time, while advanced stage cancers spread rapidly. Laura Havrilesky, MD, MHSc, of the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, lead investigator and colleagues believe that more sensitive screening tests can significantly reduce deaths due to this cancer. Targeted screening can reportedly aid in pulling down the number of deaths caused by ovarian cancer.
The research was published online in CANCER.