Ovarian Cancer Low Risk Study

Should women be screened for ovarian cancer?
We hope to answer this question with the Ovarian Cancer Low Risk Study. About 25,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. Most don’t have any symptoms until the disease is advanced. Currently, MD Anderson does not recommend routine screening for ovarian cancer.

Are there ovarian cancer screening tests available?
Currently, there are no effective tests to detect ovarian cancer at its earliest stages, but if ovarian cancer is found early, the chances of cure increase dramatically. MD Anderson researchers hope this study will result in more effective ovarian cancer screening methods.

What is the purpose of this study?
MD Anderson researchers are evaluating four blood tests called CA-125, HE-4, HE-4 antigen autoantibody complexes, and osteopontin that may be helpful in the early detection of ovarian cancer in healthy, post-menopausal women.

Here's how it works.
We:

• conduct a telephone interview with you
• perform a blood test (annually or quarterly)
• request that you complete a medical history questionnaire
• perform a transvaginal ultrasound (for some, but not all participants)

Am I eligible?
You're eligible to participate if you:

• are between the ages of 50 and 74
• are post-menopausal (no period for one year or longer)
• have not received cancer treatment for at least 12 months

What are the benefits of participating?
Participants will:

• receive ovarian cancer screening tests at no cost
• contribute valuable information to medical research which may benefit future generations

How do I find out more or enroll?
Currently our study is available in Florida, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Texas. Participants will need to travel to one of these locations below for the blood test and transvaginal ultrasound if needed.

Please call or email one of the contacts below and ask how you can become a participant in the Low Risk Ovarian Study ID01-022.

Who are the specialists involved in this study?
Denise Nebgen, M.D., Ph.D., is the study chair for the Low Risk Ovarian Cancer Study

Will my information be kept confidential?
All information that you provide, as well as your blood sample results, will be completely confidential. No one outside this study may have access to your information without your permission.