Ovarian cancer screening not effective for healthy women
Printer-friendly versionRoutine blood and ultrasound tests given to screen healthy women for ovarian cancer do more harm than good and should not be performed, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended this month.
According to the task force panel, these tests on healthy women do not lower the death rate from the disease, and they lead to unnecessary operations with high complication rates.
Women with known genetic mutations that increase their risk for ovarian cancer are not included in the recommendation.
Read more about this latest U.S. recommendation:
Ovarian Cancer Screenings Are Not Effective, Panel Says (New York Times)
Ovarian cancer: To screen or not to screen? (Montreal Gazette)
AAFP, USPSTF Recommend Against Routine Screening for Ovarian Cancer (American Academy of Family Physicians)
The Canadian Women's Health Network and the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health program are financially supported by Health Canada through the Women's Health Contribution Program. The views herein do not necessarily represent the official policy of Health Canada.