The OVA1 multivariate index assay (Vermillion; Austin, Texas) is a cost-effective strategy for triaging women with pelvic masses prior to surgery, according to an abstract presented at the American College of Medical Quality annual meeting (Alexandria, Virginia; March 26-28). Compared with both the Dearking-modified American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines (mod-ACOG) and off-label CA-125 biomarker testing, OVA1 both achieves cost-savings and improves referral of women with risk of ovarian cancer to gynecologic oncologists. OVA1 is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved blood test for pre-surgical assessment of ovarian tumors for malignancy. The protein-based assay uses qualitative serum testing of five biomarkers (pre-albumin, apolipoprotein A1, beta 2 microglobulin, transferrin, and CA-125II) along with a proprietary algorithm to generate a numerical score to stratify patients by risk of malignancy. The researchers compared the cost-effectiveness of the OVA1 test to evaluate the clinical and cost implications of adopting the assay in clinical practice from the perspective of public payers. Costs were based on reimbursement rates from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Fee Schedules. CA-125, which is frequently used off-label for ovarian cancer diagnosis, is known to be plagued by false negatives and a lack of specificity for detecting early-stage ovarian cancer. […]