RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Early Detection Testing Required for Ovarian Cancer Patients

Abstract

The ovarian cancer is the 4th foremost cause of cancer death among women, in America. The silent killer as the disease is often referred to kills more women than all the Gynecologic Oncology combined (What Every Woman Should Know, n.d.). Silent because of the frequency in which early symptoms are disregarded by patients and are not brought to the attention of physicians until the disease's late stages when prognosis is poor. In the early stages of the disease symptoms presented are few, if any. They often vague and confused with other abdominal abnormalities (O'Rourke, 2003), currently reliable testing is not available with absolute validity to screen for early detection of this type of cancer. The CA-125 serum tumor marker is a blood test used most often but the test is not proven to be a reliable indicator of the disease.

Early Detection Testing Required for Ovarian Cancer Patients

Introduction

A diagnosis of ovarian cancer is a crisis for any woman. Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate of the cancers attacking the female reproductive organs. "The high mortality associated with this disease is due in part to problems associated with early diagnosis" (Mannis, 1999, p. 47). The lack of distinctive symptoms that women experience in addition to the lack of effective mass screening procedures, make early detection often difficult (Mannis, 1999, p. 47).

Some women jump to conclusions with the statistical reports trying to figure out their chances of getting ovarian cancer or of surviving ovarian cancer. It is important to remember that statistics show what happens with large numbers and should not be applied to one individual. For example, the sample group in this study is all women in that all there is a chance however remote that all women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in their lifetime.

The current screening procedures are not perfect. Improved screening methods to identify women with early stage ovarian cancer is critically needed. Many organizations have increased their research efforts in this area. If answers are to be provided to the questions surrounding ovarian cancer diagnoses, perhaps a network of current local and national groups could potentially facilitate this.

Problem Statement

There is a problem with the testing to aid in the early detection of ovarian cancer. This has resulted in an increased number of late stage diagnoses which has resulted in an increased mortality rate in women diagnosed with the disease. This problem has negatively constrained early detection of the disease. Examining this from a correlational perspective might contribute to a resolution of this situation.

Background

In 2003, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimated that there were 25,400 new cases of ovarian cancer in 2003 (Luce, 2003, p. 41). This number accounted for approximately 4 percent of all cancers among women. Overall statistics show that the lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is projected at 1.7 percent. For all stages the 1-year survival rate is approximately 79 percent. This percentage drops to 53% for the 5-year survival ...