The OVDx Test™ and Ovarian Cancer
Frequently undiagnosed, women’s ovarian cancer often goes undetected in its early stages allowing the cancer to spread un-check and subsequently results in a high mortality rate.
According to the American Cancer Society in 2010, in the United States:
- About 21,880 women received a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and
- About 13,850 women died from ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer among women, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers. It ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. Ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in women. A woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 71, and her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 95 (These statistics don’t count low malignant potential ovarian tumors.)
The rate at which women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer has been slowly falling over the past 20 years. If ovarian cancer is found (and treated) before the cancer has spread outside the ovary, the 5-year survival rate is extremely good - 93%. However, less than 20% of all ovarian cancers are found at this early stage.
To help in the fight to detect ovarian cancer earlier, Provista is developing a simple blood test called OVDx Test. Initial studies have proven extremely promising; an overall accuracy demonstrated of 96% with both high sensitivity and specificity.
With the goal of narrowing the timeframe between cancer incidence and cancer detection, it is Provista's goal to have the OVDx Test serve as a new and very powerful analytical tool for physicians to employ in their fight to detect ovarian cancer earlier and subsequently dramatically improve present healthcare outcomes associated with this disease.
Provista anticipates clinical trials to be completed by early 2012.