Statement - CancerSEEK test not ready for use in screening for ovarian cancer
Feb 01 2018
Endorsed by 
A test called CancerSEEK made recent headlines based on its potential for detecting eight different types of cancer. CancerSEEK introduces a new approach, testing blood for certain genes and proteins that could indicate the presence of disease. But current evidence does not support its broad use for cancer screening.
More information is needed to determine whether the test would have a life-saving impact.
When it comes to ovarian cancer, CancerSEEK detected disease when it was widespread. However, for CancerSEEK to serve as an effective screening method, it would have to accurately detect early stage ovarian cancer to enable treatment when tumours are small. In these cases, the test’s overall detection rate dropped below 50% on average (this result covered all cancers in the study and related data was not separated by type).
Importantly, ovarian cancer is not only one disease. It encompasses a variety of subtypes that respond differently to treatment. The study did not provide a breakdown of ovarian cancer cases by subtype, so it is unclear whether CancerSEEK will be able to significantly improve outcomes for women with this disease.
Though it may be a useful research tool, CancerSEEK is not ready for wider use. The new approach being explored does offer potential for effective screening, but this can only be realized following further study. It will take more time and research to refine the test and identify circumstances in which CancerSEEK could have an impact.