In the study, researchers tested this analysis on more than 4,000 women over a 11 year period. Women underwent blood annual and researchers recorded levels of a protein called CA-125, which occurs in the majority of ovarian tumors. Women who presented sudden increases in the levels of CA-125 were referred to a gynecologist and ultrasound were asked.

As were the results of ultrasound, 10 women underwent surgery. It turned out that four women had ovarian cancer at an early stage yet and five had benign ovarian tumors of low malignant potential or (tumors that can become cancerous, but generally do not). One of the women had endometrial cancer.

The study suggests that this examination had a specificity of 99.9 percent, according to the researchers, which means that only 0.1 percent of patients without cancer would be identified as diseased erroneous way.

Two women in the study were found to have ovarian tumors that were not detected by screening, but both were of low malignant potential, according to researchers.