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Ovarian carcinoma screening in women at intermediate risk
Author(s) -
Kauff Noah D.,
Hurley Karen E.,
Hensley Martee L.,
Robson Mark E.,
Lev Gali,
Goldfrank Deborah,
Castiel Mercedes,
Brown Carol L.,
Ostroff Jamie S.,
Hann Lucy E.,
Offit Kenneth,
Barakat Richard R.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.21148
Subject(s) - medicine , ovarian carcinoma , carcinoma , gynecology , obstetrics , ovarian cancer , prospective cohort study , oncology , cancer
BACKGROUND Women with family histories suggestive of an increased risk of ovarian carcinoma who have not had a deleterious BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation identified are commonly suggested to consider ovarian carcinoma screening with transvaginal ultrasound and/or assessment of CA 125 levels. Limited information is available regarding the impact of this approach on either quality of life (QOL) or need for invasive follow‐up in this group of women. METHODS From November 1999 to October 2002, 184 women at intermediate risk of ovarian carcinoma were enrolled in a prospective study. Participants were screened with twice yearly transvaginal ultrasound and CA 125 assessments. Impact on QOL was measured using the Mental Component Summary (MCS) score of the Medical Outcomes Studies Short Form‐36. Need for invasive follow‐up was determined by questionnaire and medical record review. RESULTS In the current study, 135 participants underwent ≥ 1 follow‐up assessment. During a mean of 19.8 months of follow‐up, 12.9% of ultrasounds and 3.8% of CA 125 assessments were abnormal. The authors reported that 38.5% of participants had ≥ 1 abnormal ovarian screen that required a short interval follow‐up. Because of either abnormal bleeding or ultrasound abnormalities, 24% of participants underwent ≥ 1 endometrial sampling. Controlling for a history of breast carcinoma and menopausal status, abnormal ovarian screening results were associated with a decrease in MCS score ( P = 0.034), whereas the need for endometrial sampling was not ( P = 0.87). CONCLUSIONS Ovarian carcinoma screening in women at intermediate risk was associated with a substantial rate of abnormal screen results, endometrial sampling, and in women with abnormal ovarian screening findings, a decrease in MCS scores. These findings may have important implications for women considering ovarian carcinoma screening and for the design of future ovarian carcinoma screening trials. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.