AN ATTEMPT TO SCREEN ASYMPTOMATIC WOMEN FOR OVARIAN AND ENDOMETRIAL CANCER WITH TRANSVAGINAL COLOR AND PULSED DOPPLER SONOGRAPHY

Several screening procedures have been proposed to detect ovarian and endometrial cancer. However, none of them is sensitive and specific en ough to be used in population-based screening programs. During our 5 y ear long study, 5013 asymptomatic women (44% premenopausal and 56% pos tmenopausal women) were scanned by transvaginal color and pulsed Doppl er ultrasonography in an attempt to detect malignancy. These women had 404 adnexal cysts; 70 had resolved spontaneously on follow-up scans a nd 18 persisted. Another 316 sonographically benign cysts are still in the procedure of follow-up second scans. Of 5013 women, four women ha d stage I ovarian carcinoma and six had stage I endometrial carcinoma. There was one false-positive case encountered with an endometrioma. O nly 14 women were subjected to major operative intervention; others un derwent minor procedures based on the benign scan findings. No medical or surgical complications were reported. Transvaginal color Doppler u ltrasonography, a noninvasive procedure, can detect ovarian and endome trial carcinoma in asymptomatic women and may be used as a screening p rocedure for these diseases.