Detect problems before they become troubles.
Ovarian Cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer related deaths among women worldwide. Ovarian Cancer is often detected at an advanced stage which generally results in poor survival rates, therefore early detection is key to improved survival.
Ovarian cancer is a disease that can disrupt the normal function of the ovaries. If it’s left unchecked, it can affect other parts of the body too.
Ovarian cancer occurs when abnormal cells within the ovary start to multiply, creating a tumour. But it’s important to note that not all tumours are cancerous.
Non-cancerous tumours are called benign tumours. This means they don’t usually spread to other parts of the body. They may need treatment but they’re rarely life threatening.
Malignant ovarian tumours are cancerous and can be life threatening.
It’s important to catch cancers early because they can grow large enough to engulf most of the ovary and spread to other parts of the body too.
What out for these ovarian cancer symptoms:
Other symptoms you may notice include:
If your regularly experiencing these symptoms on most days it's important to talk to your GP as soon as possible.
To learn more about the symptoms of ovarian cancer you can downloadovarian cancer action leaflet.
The ovarian cancer risk is based on a blood test which looks at so called cancer markers or biomarkers in the blood which are produced by some ovarian cancer cells.
The blood test measures CA125 & HE4.
Tradionally CA 125 marker test is the best known test for ovarian cancer diagnosis, and is the serum marker most widely used to monitor therapeutic response and to detect disease or disease recurrence in patients treated for epithelial ovarian cancer.
Elavated levels of CA125 may indicate you have ovarian cancer however CA125 isn't specific to ovarian cancer and it can be raised in conditions including endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease and pregnancy, so a raised CA125 level doesn't definitely mean you have ovarian cancer.
Recognised limitations have prompted the development of biomarkers with better sensitivity for early stage diagnosis, with the ability to differentiate women with ovarian cancer from those with benign ovarian conditions. CA 125 has a high false positive rate among women with benign gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease and pregnancy. It is well documented that approximatley 20% of ovarian cancers lack experssion of CA 125, and levels are not increased in nearly 40-50% of early stage ovarian cancers.
HE4 is a new marker for ovarian carcinoma, which is over-expresed in patients with ovarian cancers. When combined with CA 125, HE4 significantly increases the level of sensitivity for detection of ovarian cancer. HE4 is consistently expressed in patients with ovarian cancer and demonstrates an increased sensitivity and specificity over that of CA 125 alone.
A Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm (ROMA) classifies patients as being at low or high risk for malignant disease using both CA 125 and HE4 results and a woman's menopausal status. The risk is given as an adjunct to the two test results for CA 125 and HE4. ROMA calculates a risk of finding ovarian cancer during surgery. ROMA classifies patients as being at low or high risk for malignant disease.
HE4 is CE marked as an aid in estimating the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in premenopausal and postmenopausal women
.
What if I have abnormal results?
It is important to take your results to your regular healthcare provider for interpretation. Whilst high levels or abnormal results could mean you have ovarian cancer, this test is not definitive and elevated results could be signs of other problems such as endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease and pregnancy.
What is Included?
A Blood Profile Report including any measurements.
This blood test is just like a standard blood test.
You will be asked to uncover you left or right arm and suitable vein is found. A tourniquet will be placed and tightened around your upper arm allowing the veins to swell and a needle will be placed into your vein. A small quantity of blood is then drawn into tubes. Once the procedure is complete a small plaster will be placed onto the site which can be removed after a few hours.
Blood results require interpretation. All results should be interpreted by your regular health care professional / GP.
We will require details of your GP / Health Care Professional, which may be requested prior to or at the time of the service.
We offer a wide range of Health Checks for women as well as blood profiles, please feel free to have a look over the complete range and for a more comprehesive service take a look at the Ovarian Cancer Health Check - link below.
We at The Scan Clinic, started with a simple goal - Quality Healthcare with a Personal Touch. It is this mission that continues to drive us to this day and in this current global crisis. We continually strive to find the right balance between delivering on our mission and maintaining high levels of health and safety for our clients as well as our staff.
We have always maintained high levels of cleanliness and infection control and since the start of the pandemic have taken additional daily infection control measures across the clinic as well as ensuring all staff have adequate PPE (personal protective equipment).
You will notice that some of our services are no longer available at the moment and this is because we are limiting our range of available services to essential scans only until further notice. Furthermore all Off-Peak clinics have been suspended until further notice
We have been continually monitoring the ongoing situation and taking all official guidance, however as this is an evolving situation the information and guidelines given below are subject to change and can change with immediate effect. We appreciate this can be challenging but please bear in mind that the steps we take are for the health and safety of all our staff and clients and we really appreciate your support and understanding to follow them.
If you have any questions, queries or concerns about any of this then please get in touch with our customer care team who are more than happy to help.
Hand hygiene is important please ensure you are washing your hands regularly with soap and water or a disinfectant.
Click the links: NHS or Public Health England for updates and advice on Coronavirus - COVID-19.