U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Issues Final Recommendation Statement on Screening for Ovarian Cancer
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) posted its final recommendation statement on screening for ovarian cancer.
AMWA responds:
The American Medical Women’s Association Women’s Health Working Group has reviewed the recent Recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concerning “Screening for Ovarian Cancer.” We are in full agreement with the Task Force recommendation against routine screening in low risk, asymptomatic women, using the current available methods, since the harms to women seem to greatly outweigh the risks. During the public comment period, AMWA posed a question asking if the Task Force has considered the newer, recently marketed screening modalities, and we are satisfied with the fact that the Task Force would require a larger randomized trial to test the effectiveness of these new modalities.
“Even though the current research does not show a benefit to current screening modalities, we need to continue to research other screening modalities,” said Janice Werbinski, MD, FACOG of the AMWA Women’s Health Working Group. “And we will be interested to review the results of the ongoing United Kingdom Familial Ovarian Cancer Screening Study, which will hopefully shed further light on screening for this deadly cancer in women. We also strongly recommend that women consumers of healthcare be informed, in simple terms, that even though screening in low risk asymptomatic women is not recommended, women with high risk factors and symptoms will still benefit from screening. And that newer, more precise screening methods still need to be researched.”
View the final recommendation statement and the evidence on which it is based.
View a fact sheet that explains the recommendation statement in plain language.
