BLOOD TEST FOR OVARIAN CANCER
One in 70 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Many of these women will die from the disease because the cancer is diagnosed too late. New research could change the future of diagnosing this deadly disease.
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Love Johnson
Ovarian cancer survivor
"I love the fresh air. I try to breathe deep and walk fast. I'm not quite back to walking what I used to walk, but I'm working on it."
"You feel fine until it's really almost too late. I guess that's why they call it the silent killer."
"Ovarian cancer -- stage 3-C. They told me I had a 30-percent chance to live."
Like more than 25,000 women a year, love johnson was blindsided by ovarian cancer. Doctors say the symptoms are often vague.
Rebecca Sutphen, M.D.
Director of Clinical Genetics
Moffitt Cancer Center
Tampa, FL
"People always refer to it as being a disease that whispers."
Doctor Rebecca Sutphen's research tested a marker in the blood for ovarian cancer called LPA. In 93 percent of the cases, high levels of LPA accurately predict ovarian cancer. It's the first step toward a blood test to diagnose this disease.
Rebecca Sutphen, M.D.
"There is no reason why we should not be able to develop a blood test that, by using a combination of markers, will allow us to be close to 100 percent accurate."
An earlier diagnosis could save lives -- 9 out of 10 women survive when diagnosed at stage one. At stage three, only 3 out of 10 women survive.
Rebecca Sutphen, M.D.
"Even though it's not the most common, more women die of it every year than any other gynecologic cancer, and the reason is that it's usually discovered at a late stage."
Love endured surgery and chemotherapy but says it was the support of her family and faith that helped her beat the odds and return to the beach.
You may have also heard of CA-125 which is another blood test for ovarian cancer. However doctors say it misses about half of cases of the disease in the early stages.
BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is often referred to as the silent killer. Symptoms of this cancer are sometimes vague, and usually, by the time a woman notices them, the cancer is in stage three or stage four. There is no ovarian cancer screening test currently available, and doctors say that is a big problem in diagnosing this disease. There are some steps that can be taken for a woman who is at high-risk for the disease, but ovarian cancer seems to blindside most patients.
THE NUMBERS: Ovarian cancer happens in about one in 70 women. Even though it's not the most common cancer, statistics show it is the most deadly gynecological cancer. The reason this cancer is so deadly is because it is caught in a later stage when it has usually spread to other areas of the body. If ovarian cancer is caught in stage one, a woman has a 90-percent chance of survival compared to a 25-to 30-percent chance of survival if the cancer is diagnosed in stage three. Also, stage one patients usually only have surgery, whereas stage three patients have to endure surgery and chemotherapy.
BLOOD MARKERS: Researchers have been focusing on markers in the blood to indicate ovarian cancer. The concept is similar to the PSA blood test for prostate cancer. The standard CA125 blood test is used on patients with late stage ovarian cancer, but doctors say it's only 50 percent accurate when looking at stage one or stage two patients. However, researchers are now focusing on a new biomarker called lysophospholipids. Lysophospholipids were first identified as a biomarker by Yan Xu, Ph.D., of the Cleveland Clinic. Then, doctors from Moffitt Cancer Center conducted a study to confirm Dr. Xu's research. They looked to see if lysophospholipids, also called lysophosphatidic acid, or LPA, could be used as part of an ovarian cancer detection test.
CURRENT RESEARCH: The study included hundreds of women from four different hospitals. The blood samples included 117 women with ovarian cancer who had not had surgery or treatment and a group of healthy women. Researchers say the study was blinded, meaning they did not know if the blood samples were from ovarian cancer patients or healthy patients.
The research shows, in 93 percent of the cases, the blood test for LPA was an accurate predictor of whether a woman had ovarian cancer. Less than 4 percent of the 117 women studied could be characterized as a "false-positive." However, researchers say before a blood test could be used as a mass screening tool, it should have a 100 percent accuracy rate. They say they are extremely encouraged that LPA is at the 93 percent point. For now, the LPA marker could potentially be used to screen high-risk women.
CANCER ANSWERS
Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute
Tampa, FL
(800) 456-7121
Copyright © 2004 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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