NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Despite expert guidelines and scientific evidence to the contrary, a third of U.S. primary care physicians believe ovarian cancer screening is effective and many would offer it to patients, according to a new survey.
Although the results don’t necessarily translate into real practice, that means more than a million women might be offered the tests, which come with a hefty price tag and possible hazards, researchers say.
“Currently the evidence suggests that the harms of ovarian cancer screening exceed the benefits,” said Dr. Laura-Mae Baldwin of the University of Washington in Seattle.
“That’s why it is not being recommended.”
Baldwin and her colleagues surveyed more than 1,000 doctors across the country, asking them questions about a hypothetical case of a woman presenting for her annual exam.
The details varied, but the risk of ovarian cancer never went beyond medium. That covers about 95 percent of American women, for whom guidelines unanimously advise against screening.
Still, 65 percent of doctors said they “sometimes” or “almost always” offered or ordered ovarian cancer screening for women at medium risk. For women at low risk, the number dropped to 29 percent.
Screening is done either as an ultrasound scan or a blood test called CA-125.
Although these
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