Symptom-Triggered Testing Can ID Low Disease Burden in Ovarian Cancer

FRIDAY, Aug. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Symptom-triggered testing can identify women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer with low disease burden, according to a study published online Aug. 13 in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.

Fong Lien Audrey Kwong, from The Pan-Birmingham Gynaecological Cancer Centre at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined the potential value of symptom-triggered testing in the detection of early-stage disease or low tumor burden for women presenting via the fast-track pathway and who were diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Women presenting with symptoms suspicious for ovarian cancer received a CA125 blood test and an ultrasound scan in the event of an abnormal CA125 level. If either test was abnormal, the women were referred to secondary care within two weeks.

Overall, 119 of 1,741 participants (6.8 percent) recruited via the fast-track pathway were diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian cancer. The researchers found that 112 of these participants (94.1 percent) had a performance status of 0 and 1; 30 (25.2 percent) were diagnosed with stages I/II; and low-to-moderate disease distribution was identified in 77 (64.7 percent). Overall, 73 and 18 patients achieved complete and optimal cytoreduction (61.3 and 15.1 percent, respectively). The extent of disease was low, moderate, high, and not available in 36.1, 28.6, 26.9, and 8.4 percent, respectively. Seventy-eight women (65.5 percent) with high-grade serous ovarian cancer underwent primary debulking surgery.

"Symptom-triggered testing may help to identify women with low disease burden, potentially contributing to high complete cytoreduction rates and improving survival outcomes in these patients," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and other industries.

Abstract/Full Text