media - NICE issues first GP ovarian cancer guidance highlighting four red flags

Detecting ovarian cancer in primary care


• Refer urgently if physical examination identifies a pelvic or abdominal mass and/or ascites.
• Investigate if a woman reports any of the following more than 12 times a month: abdominal distension, difficulty eating and/or feeling full, pelvic or abdominal pain or increased urinary urgency and/or frequency
• Also consider testing woman with abnormal vaginal bleeding, unexplained weight loss, abdominal distension, fatigue or changes in bowel habit.
• Send women with a serum CA125 35 IU/ml for an ultrasound scan and refer with a positive scan urgently for further investigation.
• Advise any woman who has normal serum CA125, or a normal ultrasound, to return to her GP for re-assessment if her symptoms persist or become more frequent.

Source: The recognition and initial management of ovarian cancer, draft NICE guideline, September 2010