Blood Drug Testing

Could ovarian cancer be detected by blood test?

Apparently I am displaying a number of symptoms so I am being sent for an ultrasound. This came about when I went to see doc as I have been trying to conceive for 16 months with no joy and wanted to check all was in order. I have been generally unwell for about a year now and have had a number of blood tests which have all come back clear - would something not have been detected in these tests it was cancer?

Public Comments

1. There is a blood test, but it just makes it more probable that you could have it and further testing would be needed.
2. Cancer markers can be found in blood tests, yes, but only if the pathologists are looking for them. In your case, they probably were looking for them. Ultrasound would reveal if you have a pelvic mass associated with ovarian cancer. In advanced cases, gynaecologists can feel such a mass by pushing their fingers deep into your tum, like a very deep tum-massage . Difficult if you are overweight, of course. In ovarian cancer it is common to put on weight, caused by the build-up of fluids in the pelvic/abdominal area. You might find you have very suddenly gone up two dress sizes. Ovarian cancer can strike at quite young ages, but is commonest in middle-aged or post-menopausal women who have had no children.
3. There is a blood test for ovarian cancer called the CA-125. It's not very reliable though, especially before menopause. Your hormanes levels change so much throughout the month, they are expected to be high at certain times. They usually make you take the blood test at a specific time during your cycle. Ovarian cancer would not have been caught in any routine blood test.
4. Cancer cannot be diagnosed through a blood test it is just a basic test that gives doctors a clue about things that may be wrong and an idea of where to start looking. The CA-125 is a reliable test, but it is primarily used to monitor treatment. The only time it is used as a diagnostic test is when the patient has already been diagnosed with cancer, but the primary site is uncertain.