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Home | PET and Cancer | Ovarian Cancer | Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis
PET/CT scanning can help the physician in detecting metastatic disease and determining the stage of the cancer immediately after it is found so that the most appropriate therapy can be given. Early determination of how far the ovarian cancer has spread is the key to selecting the most appropriate treatment.
Source: Atlas of Clinical Positron Emission Tomography by Sallie F. Barrington, Michael N. Maisey and Richard R. Wahl. Oxford University Press, Inc. New York, NY. 2006.
Positron Emission Tomography: Basic Science and Clinical Practice. Peter E. Valk, Dale L. Bailey, David W. Townsend, Michael N. Maisey. Springer-Verlag London Limited. 2003. |
Only a small number of ovarian cancers are found at an early stage because early cancers of the ovary often have no symptoms and tumors on the ovary cannot usually be found through usual screening tests like the Pap test. For diagnosis of ovarian cancer there is a great deal of promise in the use of serum markers, and possibly anatomical imaging such as ultrasound for patients with elevated serum markers. Currently, ovarian cancer is difficult for even skilled doctors to find and diagnose at its earliest stage and usually all patients suspected to harbor a primary ovarian carcinoma will undergo laparotomy. 