Women with symptoms of ovarian cancer should have a CA125 test, says NICE

GPs should test the blood of women who present with persistent symptoms of ovarian cancer, the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has recommended.

In its first clinical guideline for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland dedicated to ovarian cancer, NICE is recommending that women be offered a blood test to detect the concentration of protein CA125 if they have experienced any of the following symptoms more than 12 times a month: persistent abdominal distension; early satiety or loss of appetite; pelvic or abdominal pain; and increased urinary urgency or frequency.

Women over the age of 50 who have experienced symptoms within the past 12 months that suggest irritable bowel syndrome should also be investigated for ovarian cancer, because the syndrome rarely presents for the first time in women of …