Background: Ovarian cancer is a common malignant neoplasm in affluent societies. Although the prognosis has continuously improved since the 1950s, it is still poor, with five-year relative survival rates of about 40%.
Material and methods: The paper discusses the potential use of screening for early ovarian cancer detection.
Results: The disease is a suitable candidate for screening because the prognosis is strongly dependent on the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis. Ovarian cancer does not, however, meet all the prerequisites for successful screening; there is no preclinical stage that can be detected, and the tests are not sensitive and specific enough to be effective. Furthermore, there is so far no direct evidence that screening would decrease mortality from ovarian cancer, though recent data suggest that screening may increase survival.
Interpretation: Screening women at higher risk of developing ovarian cancer might be beneficial.