Task Force Says Most Women Don’t Benefit From Screening For Ovarian Cancer - Dr. Max Gomez

Early screening and detection normally means improved survival, but screening tests for ovarian cancer aren’t very specific and that leads to a lot of false positives, which means interventions and surgeries that themselves carry risks. Ellen Stein, an ovarian cancer patient at Mount Sinai, was a normal, very active and apparently healthy 75-year-old, until one day she became extremely bloated as if she was eight months pregnant. That was the first sign that Ellen had stage three ovarian cancer. Fortunately, she saw her doctor right away for surgery and chemotherapy, but most women are not as lucky. “Ovarian cancer has a very high mortality rate and that is because 75 to 80 percent of the cancer is diagnosed at a very advanced stage, which would be stage three or four,” said Valentin Kolev, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Screening for ovarian cancer is not recommended for women with no signs or symptoms of the disease, according to newly released guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. However, the task force recommendation does not apply to women at high risk for ovarian cancer.

• Valentin Kolev, MD, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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