"Screening for Ovarian Cancer: A Window into the Pelvis"

Michael A. Finan, M.D.
Director
Abraham A. Mitchell Chair USA Mitchell Cancer Institute 

Despite advancements in ovarian cancer (OC) therapy, the greatest benefit in survival would be the discovery of an effective screening test that could accurately detect early-stage disease. I will discuss our efforts to develop a site-specific proteomic-based screening test for ovarian cancer using cervicovaginal fluid (CVL). Our initial results indicate that our test may be useful as a “triage” procedure to identify patients with cancer from those with a benign pelvic mass. Further testing is underway to evaluate the usefulness of the procedure as a general screening test for ovarian cancer.