Blood test for ovarian cancer?

By Brandie Umar - Executive Director of Content | July 28th, 2010

Ovarian cancer is known as the 'silent killer' as it is almost symptomless until the cancer has advanced to a fatal stage. 70% of women with ovarian cancer die as a result of late diagnosis. A new test being designed to detect ovarian cancer cells from a blood sample could save thousands of lives.

Belgian company MabCure claims to have developed lad-designed antibodies which can detect ovarian cancer cells in the blood. Cancer cells in the blood can be a preindicator of cancer before the tumor has fully developed or the cancer has spread. The antiobodies designed by MabCure are engineered to specifically detect ovarian tumor cells.

During a clinical trial the antibody blood test showed a success rate of 94% - correctly diagnosing ovarian cancer in 16 out of 17 patients.

Further clinical studies on larger scales are needed before the test is approved however initial results look promising and could help detect early-stage

ovarian cancer, especially in high-risk patients.