Testing healthy older women for ovarian cancer with blood tests or ultrasounds doesn’t save lives and often leads to risky surgeries that aren’t needed — so it’s not worth doing.

75

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

75

Community contributions welcome

75

Mortality impact, risks, and benefits of general population screening for ovarian cancer: the UKCTOCS randomised controlled trial.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2025 May

This big study checked if checking for ovarian cancer every year with blood tests or ultrasounds saves lives in healthy older women. It found it doesn’t save lives, but does cause many women to have unnecessary surgeries because of false alarms.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Mortality impact, risks, and benefits of general population screening for ovarian cancer: the UKCTOCS randomised controlled trial.

Score: 75

DOI: 10.3310/bhbr5832

Similar Assertions

Getting yearly blood tests and ultrasounds for women over 50 might catch more ovarian cancers early, but it doesn’t help them live longer, even after 16 years.

75

0

81%

For women over 50 who aren’t at high risk for ovarian cancer, getting regular vaginal ultrasounds doesn’t help find the cancer sooner or save more lives compared to not getting screened at all — even after 16 years.

75

0

72%