Posted on May 15, 2002 at 10:05 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Comprehensive Cancer Center is offering screening blood tests at no cost to participants in an attempt to identify a way to find ovarian cancer in its earlier stages. The tests are part of the Risk of Ovarian Cancer Algorithm (ROCA) program sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.

The clinical trial will enroll women age 30 or older who are at high risk of getting cancer of the ovaries as indicated by family history or a positive test for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene change. For specific information, people may call toll-free to 1-866-283-7223.

The study, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and conducted at major cancer treatment programs across the country, will help determine whether serial testing for a commonly used ovarian cancer screening blood test, CA125, is helpful in the early detection of the disease. In some cases women who have had the blood test would be referred for an ovarian ultrasound examination. The ultrasound exam uses sound waves to evaluate the position, size and shape of the ovaries.

“Women have a better chance of surviving ovarian cancer when it is found early,” according to Dr. Mona Fouad, a preventive medicine professor who is one of the investigators for the study. “When the disease is found at a late stage, it is hard to treat. If we can find a screening test, many more tumors would be found earlier, and many more women would be cured.”

Dr. Mack Barnes, a gynecologist-oncologist and also a study investigator, says, “Of all gynecological cancer, ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death despite new therapies. Most women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed late because there are few or no specific early symptoms.”

He said future studies may seek to identify new and better biomarkers and risk factors for ovarian and breast cancer, possibly leading to development of new prevention and treatment strategies for cancer.