The largest-ever study evaluating ovarian cancer screening for the general population showed only a modest reduction in the risk of death after more than a decade of follow-up. The use of changes in CA125 markers over time or transvaginal ultrasound, failed to achieve statistical significance versus no screening in primary analysis, according to a study published Dec. 17, 2015 in The Lancet, but the authors were encouraged by the screening methods’ greater mortality reductions with longer follow-up periods. Experts say the long-awaited study results don’t justify screenings for the general population, but acknowledge more research is needed both in assessing these screening modalities, as well as emerging markers. This trial, the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening, included postmenopausal women (aged 50 to 74 years) screened at 13 National Health Service Trust centers in the United Kingdom. Women with increased risk of familial ovarian cancer were excluded from the study. Women were randomized to annual multimodal screening (MMS) with serum CA125 interpreted with use of the risk of ovarian cancer algorithm (n= 50,624), annual transvaginal ultrasound screening (USS; n= 50,623), or no screening (n= 101,299). The risk of ovarian cancer algorithm (ROCA) categorized women in the MMS group as […]