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Ovations for the Cure applauded the preliminary findings, continuing medical study which indicate that post menopausal women screened for the disease by ultrasound or blood test are more likely to have their cancers detected at early stages. Ovations for the Cure, a national ovarian cancer foundation, applauded the preliminary findings of a large, continuing medical study which indicate that post menopausal women screened for the disease by ultrasound or blood test are more likely to have their cancers detected at early stages.

"This has been the mission of Ovations for the Cure since we opened our doors," Ovations for the Cure's Director of Operations Lisa Tocci said. "In light of this national attention being given today to the early detection of ovarian cancer we find great hope in our continued efforts to raise awareness and funds for research and patient treatment."

Called the silent killer, ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer there is. Its signs are subtle and there is no annual or early marker test available as there are for other types of women's cancers. That means that today, it is far more likely that a woman will be a victim of ovarian cancer than a survivor of it. Each day 62 women in the United States are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 43 lose their fight.

But interim results published in The Lancet Oncology (UK) earlier this week, provide new hope that widespread screening for ovarian cancer may be feasible in the future. The study, which followed more than 200,000 post-menopausal British women, found that an ultrasound and CA-125 blood test detected ovarian cancer in 90 percent of patients who developed the disease, while the ultrasound alone detected the cancer 75 percent of the time. Almost half of the cancers were diagnosed in the early stages when the cancers are most treatable. Without screening, only 28 percent of patients are diagnosed in the early stages.

From its inception in 2006, Ovations for the Cure has urged women to listen to their bodies, advocate for themselves with their doctors and ask for an ultrasound and CA-125 blood test if they are experiencing the subtle signs of ovarian cancer or have a family history of the disease.

Though the study won't be complete until 2014, Ovations for the Cure hopes that it will lead to widespread diagnostic testing for women around the world.

About Ovations for the Cure
Ovations for the Cure is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the research, patient outreach and awareness of ovarian cancer. Since its founding in 2006, the organization has donated more than $1.25 million to ovarian cancer research, distributed more than 250,000 awareness brochures in doctors' offices nationwide and comforted thousands of patients through its Happy Feet Program. For more information about Ovations, please visit www.ovationsforthecure.org.

Source: Ovations for the Cure