Recent developments in ovarian cancer screening

There has been growing interest in the possibility of screening for ovarian cancer. This article addresses papers published following a systematic rev iew of all prospective ovarian cancer screening studies since 1998. In the past year, new markers have been reported and previous strategies have been refined. A randomized controlled trial of ovarian cancer screening has sho wn a survival benefit in women who developed ovarian cancer in the screened group. Although the results do not justify ovarian cancer screenmg in the general population, the data support the need for a larger randomized trial powered to assess the impact of screening on mortality. (C) 2000 Lippincot t Williams & Wilkins.