Ovarian cancer screening: are we making any progress?

Given the burden of suffering associated with the development of ovarian cancer and the clear survival gradient related to the stage of disease at diagnosis, there is much enthusiasm for the development of effective screening strategies aimed at early detection. To date, no evidence exists to justify mass population screening; however, emphasis on subpopulation screening, identification of novel serologic markers, and multimodality screening designs have provided hope that these refinements may eventually translate into a reduction in ovarian cancer mortality.