An attempt to screen asymptomatic women for ovarian and endometrial cancer with transvaginal color and pulsed Doppler sonography

J Ultrasound Med. 1994 Apr;13(4):295-301. doi: 10.7863/jum.1994.13.4.295.

Abstract

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

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Endometrial Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Endometrial Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Endometrial Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Mass Screening / methods*
  • Middle Aged
  • Ovarian Cysts / diagnostic imaging
  • Ovarian Cysts / prevention & control
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Postmenopause
  • Premenopause
  • Prevalence
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / methods*