Tests for Detecting Ovarian Cancer

David A. Fishman, M.D.

Women at high risk for ovarian cancer—the most lethal gynecological malignancy—can now benefit from cutting-edge research that has yielded several methods for early detection, all of which are available at NYU Medical Center.

“Until recently, there were no tests to accurately diagnose ovarian cancer or disease confined to the ovary, much less predict the development of any cancer,” explains David A. Fishman, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Director of Gynecologic Oncology. “Today, based on our research employing new computer sophistication and ultrasensitive technology, we can look beyond cells to genes and proteins for abnormalities that may indicate precancerous changes.”

As Director of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) National Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Program (NOCEDP), Dr. Fishman heads a multidisciplinary program involving more than 50 research institutions internationally. Collaborating with scientists at NCI and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), he is responsible for landmark research that underlines the NOCEDP initiative, which is now headquartered at NYU Cancer Institute. The program’s coordinator, Victoria Leary, R.N., says that several thousand women are expected to enroll in the early-detection program at the Medical Center.

Candidates for the screening program must meet at least one of the following criteria: a personal history of breast, colon, or urinary cancer; a first-degree relative with ovarian cancer; multiple family members with breast and/or ovarian cancer; a personal history of, or close relative with, a positive test for breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA 1 or BRCA 2); or use of fertility drugs for more than a year.