New way to distinguish between ovarian tumours

Conclusion This study describes a new way of distinguishing between benign and malignant ovarian tumours, and for distinguishing between different stages of malignant tumours. The reseachers found their prediction model was able to discriminate well between benign and malignant tumours overall. But it showed more variable accuracy for distinguishing between different stages of ovarian cancer – for example, between borderline, stage I and stage II to IV ovarian cancers and secondary metastatic tumours. As the researchers point out, a potential limitation of their study is they were only able to study tumours from women who were about to undergo surgery to remove the tumour. They were unable to study women with ovarian masses who were deemed not to require, or were not suitable for, surgery and who underwent "expectant management" (watching and waiting). They say information on women who are managed conservatively started being collected in 2013. The researchers hope the ADNEX tool will be able to aid decisions about treatment of ovarian cancer and improve outcomes. It should be noted ADNEX is not a screening test and screening for ovarian cancer does not presently take place in the UK. While the initial symptoms of ovarian cancer aren't very specific (symptoms could have a wide range of potential causes), you should contact your GP for advice if you have persistent bloating, difficulty eating, and pain in the pelvis or abdomen. Analysis by Bazian. Edited by NHS...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medical practice Source Type: news