Metropolis Healthcare study has reveals that 27.9 per cent women in the pre-menopause and 40 per cent women in the post-menopause where tested positive for high levels out of the 521 samples processed at its facility in the country.

 Ovarian cancer accounts for about 3 per cent of cancers, but it causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. In an analysis of samples collected by Metropolis Healthcare in the previous year, the Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm (ROMA) can be used as a supplement to the standard presurgical evaluation to further assess the likelihood of malignancy before surgery when the presurgical evaluation does not indicate malignancy. It combines the results of Human Epididymis Protein 4 (HE4), CA 125, and menopausal status to generate a single numerical score that correlates with the likelihood of malignancy being seen at surgery.

Commenting on the study, Dr Ravi Kumar, managing director, RV Metropolis, said “Awareness needs to be generated amongst women which will aid in detecting the disease in its early stages, so that the treatment can be started immediately. Family history of epithelial cancers is specially associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer. There are genetic markers, which can predict whether such an individual is at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer.

The most lethal form of gynaecological cancer, is potentially curable if diagnosed early and treated by surgeons familiar with the management of ovarian cancer. However, the symptoms of ovarian cancer are related to the presence of adnexal masses and are often vague and nonspecific, he added.

The CA 125 test in itself isn't accurate enough to use for ovarian cancer screening in all women because many noncancerous conditions can increase the CA 125 level and hence the ROMA Index test is recommended for further course of action. The ROMA test is intended for use in women who are over 18 years of age and with no rheumatoid factor concentration.

Ovarian cancer often has no symptoms in the early stages. Later stages are associated with non-specific symptoms, like loss of appetite and weight loss. The most common being bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating or feeling full quickly and urinary problems. The study pointed out that those with maternal history of ovarian cancer need to the undergo test.

A small portion of ovarian cancers with inherited gene mutations: BRCA1 and BRCA2 linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Most ovarian cancers have several acquired gene mutations. Research has suggested that tests to identify acquired changes of certain genes in ovarian cancers, like the TP53 tumor suppressor gene or the HER2 oncogene, can help predict a woman's prognosis.