USPSTF recommends against ovarian cancer screening

(HealthDay)—The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against screening for ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women. These findings form the basis of a final recommendation statement published in the Feb. 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

To update the 2012 USPSTF recommendation, researchers reviewed the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for ovarian cancer among asymptomatic women not known to be at high risk for ovarian cancer. Data were reviewed from four trials with 293,587 participants. Three studies assessed ovarian cancer mortality, while one reported only on psychological outcomes.

The researchers found that there was adequate evidence that ovarian cancer screening does not reduce ovarian cancer mortality. Adequate evidence was also found suggesting that the harms of screening may be substantial in some cases, including unnecessary surgery in women without cancer. Based on these findings, the USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that the harms of ovarian cancer screening outweigh the potential benefits.

"The Task Force recommends against screening for ovarian cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms," Task Force member Michael J. Barry, M.D., said in a statement. "Evidence shows that current screening methods do not prevent women from dying of ovarian cancer and that screening can lead to unnecessary surgery in women without cancer."