| The newest advancement in ovarian cancer | | | | pelvic exams. |
| detection is an yearly CA 125 blood test to help | | | | False positives can result since there are several |
| screen against ovarian cancer. Many have | | | | common conditions in the body that will lead to an |
| dismissed this new test as being a false | | | | elevation of CA 125 in the blood stream. Some of |
| advertisement and not worth checking out or | | | | these conditions are normal ovulation, |
| talking to their over with their doctor. However, | | | | endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, the |
| this isn't the case. | | | | first trimester of pregnancy and fibroid tumors. |
| The CA 125 test is a blood test that can help to | | | | False negatives are another problem since the |
| determine the amount of antigen in the blood that | | | | test does have a high rate of negative results. |
| is a tumor marker. The test is usually used to | | | | This means a woman can test negative and still |
| monitor the state of cancer in those who already | | | | have ovarian cancer. This is most likely to happen |
| have ovarian cancer. Most of the women with | | | | if a woman is in the early stages of ovarian |
| ovarian cancer will have signs of the antigen in | | | | cancer. |
| their blood. | | | | However, if women are at a high risk for ovarian |
| The reason why the test isn't more common as | | | | cancer then their doctor may do regular CA 125 |
| a screening tool is because it's not as sensitive or | | | | screening tests. Most of the time if you have a |
| specific as doctors would prefer. False positive | | | | family history of ovarian cancer and you are |
| and false negative results can occur with this test | | | | younger than fifty then a CA 125 test may be |
| and at high rates which is why doctors won't use | | | | annually prescribed by your doctor. |
| it as a general screening test like they do with | | | | |