New Ovarian Cancer Screening Showing Promise

(AP)  Doctors may be getting closer to having a way to screen healthy women for signs of ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

The method uses a blood test for a protein that often is high in women with ovarian tumors. Women with high scores are then given ultrasound exams, and surgery to look for cancer if the ultrasound finds a problem.

Researchers tested this method in more than 3,000 American women. Only eight needed to have an operation, and three of them turned out to have deadly tumors.

This screening approach needs more testing before it goes into wide use. A bigger study is under way now in England.