Annual Ultrasound Improves Survival For Ovarian Cancer

Annual ultrasound improves survival for ovarian cancer

Regular screening for ovarian cancer can save lives. Among women who undergo an ultrasound examination (ultrasound) each year, the survival rate for this disease increases.

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Regular screening for ovarian cancer can save lives. Among women who undergo an ultrasound examination (ultrasound) each year, the survival rate for this disease increases.

The study was conducted by scientists from the University of Kentucky, and its results are published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. The researchers used data from a 30-year UK Markey Cancer Center's Ovarian Cancer Screening Program study. Its purpose was to determine the effectiveness of transvaginal ultrasound in the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer. The women participating in the study received this study free of charge each year.

To date, 46,000 women have been screened free of charge. Participants were required to be over 50 or over 20 years old and have a family history of the disease. All women should have had no symptoms of ovarian cancer at the start of the study.

During the study, 71 cases of invasive epithelial cancer and 17 cases of low-grade cancer were registered in women from the observation group. The five-, ten- and twenty-year survival rates of patients who underwent annual screening were 30% higher than those who did not undergo it.

In Russia, according to 2015, about 12,000 women fall ill with ovarian cancer annually, at stage III it is found in 40.8% of cases, at stage IV - in 20.3% of cases. When diagnosed in the early stages, the disease is well treated, but in the later stages, survival drops sharply.

“Regular gynecological examinations are important and can help detect many diseases, including cervical cancer. But it does not help detect ovarian cancer early. This study showed that ultrasound screening is safe and associated with earlier detection of ovarian cancer,”the study authors say.