Ovarian Cancer Testing & Screening Procedures

Ovarian cancer affects the ovaries, the glands that produce eggs that are used for reproduction. It can often be treated with surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Women have a better chance of survival if the disease is diagnosed early.

Pelvic Exam

• During a pelvic exam, a doctor looks at and feels the ovaries, vagina, uterus and rectum for abnormal growths.

Ultrasound

• An ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images of the inside of a woman's body. The test is used to find growths in ovaries, but it usually cannot distinguish between cancerous and noncancerous growths.

Imaging Scans

• A computerized tomography (CT) scan uses x-rays to get cross-sectional pictures of the body. This test can show how large a tumor is and whether it has spread to other parts of the body. A positive emission tomography (PET) scan utilizes radioactive glucose, which produce pictures of different parts of the body, to look for the presence of cancer.

CA 125 Blood Test

• A CA 125 blood test is used to test levels of a protein called CA 125 in the body. Women with ovarian cancer often have high levels of this protein.

Laparoscopy

• A laparoscopy is a test that uses a lighted probe to get pictures of the ovaries and pelvic organs and tissues. It can be used to show whether cancer has spread to other organs and tissues.

Biopsy

• To determine whether a growth in the ovaries is cancerous, doctors often remove a tumor and send it to a laboratory to be examined.