What are the best methods to screen for ovarian and breast cancer?
Ovarian cancer Women with potential symptoms (see Question #9) should get a manual pelvic/rectal exam in which the ovaries can be felt. The next step is a vaginal ultrasound, which can check the ovaries for abnormal growths. There’s also a blood test for a tumor marker that can be elevated with ovarian cancer, although it doesn’t provide a definitive diagnosis. If non-invasive testing fails to detect a tumor, the area may need to be biopsied. Breast cancer A mammogram is one of the most common methods of detecting breast cancer because it can detect the disease before you feel a lump through a breast exam. Approximately 25% of breast cancers are first detected on breast examination, about 35% are found through mammography alone, and 40% are detected with an exam and mammography. In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that non-high risk women in their 40s not undergo routine mammography.
