Simple blood test to improve ovarian cancer diagnosis

Researchers have developed a simple blood test that measures the body’s own immune response to improve diagnosis of ovarian cancer. The study found that testing for a specific immune biomarker allows clinicians to identify whether growths on the ovaries are cancerous or not, without the need for tests like the MRI scans or ultrasounds.
Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynaecologic cancers, with the highest mortality rate. About 300,000 new cases are diagnosed globally each year, with an estimated 60 per cent of women dying within five years after diagnosis.
“Our new test is as accurate as the combined results of a standard blood test and ultrasound. This is important for women in remote or disadvantaged communities, where under-resourced hospitals may not have access to complex and expensive equipment like ultrasound machines or MRI scanners,” said study senior author Magdalena Plebanski. (IANS)