The OVDx Test™ and Detecting
Ovarian Cancer
Provista Diagnostics is presently developing a simple, blood test to aid in the early detection of Ovarian Cancer called the OVDx Test™.
Ovarian Cancer has the highest mortality rate as a direct consequence of the lack of early reliable and accurate detection test methods.
Women with a personal history of breast cancer or with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer are at an increased risk for developing ovarian cancer. Women over the age of 45 are also more likely to develop the disease than younger women.
If detected in the early stages, the ovarian cancer survival rates are quite high; as high as 93%. For a higher survival rate, ovarian cancer must be detected before it spreads beyond the ovaries into the other organs of the body. Sadly, less than 20% of cases are detected in its early stages because the symptoms in the early stages are minimal and because invasive surgery is required to make a definite diagnosis.
As the disease is rarely diagnosed in the early stages when a total recovery is possible, the outcome of treatment is generally poor -- 76% of patients are diagnosed with the disease while in the advanced stages and consequently survive only up to 1 year with less than 45% living beyond the 5 year survival mark.
Provista anticipates its clinical trials to be completed by early 2012 and, if successful, making the OVDx Test available to the public as a CLIA compliant Laboratory Developed Test.