A new simple blood test known as OvaPrint can help  detect-ovarian-cancer-early-with-91-accuracy, according to a preclinical research published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

It can  suggest whether a pelvic mass is benign or cancerous at a better rate than existing tests. It comes as a ray of hope for millions of women as high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is the most common type of ovarian cancer. It is also the most lethal form, in part because clinicians do not have effective ways to screen women for it during the cancer’s early stages, when it’s easiest to treat.

The test has the potential to improve treatment, because the surgical approach to removing a pelvic mass differs depending on whether it’s benign or not. Right now, doctors essentially have to take their best guess.”

Bodour Salhia, PhD, co-leader of the Genomic and Epigenomic Regulation Research Program at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and the study’s corresponding author

Knowing more about the mass before surgery could point to which type of surgeon and which method of surgery is best for the patient, said Lynda Diane Roman, MD, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, division chief of gynecologic oncology at the Keck School of Medicine and a coauthor of the study.

In addition to helping health care providers choose the best treatment strategy for patients with a known pelvic mass, researchers will also investigate whether the new test, known as OvaPrintTM, can be used as a screening tool in the general population to detect early-stage ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women. When ovarian cancer is found in its initial stages, patients have a more than 90% chance of living for five years or more. Their chances drop to less than 40% if the cancer is detected in advanced stages.

“Early detection saves lives,” said Salhia, who is also an associate professor and interim chair of translational genomics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. If we can accurately identify early-stage ovarian cancer, we can change the outcome of the disease and really crank up survival rates.”

By testing for these early molecular changes, OvaPrintTM was designed to identify HGSOC when the cancer is new and relatively easy to treat, unlike most existing tests for ovarian cancer.