But a rise in CA-125 levels also may be linked with many other unrelated processes, so this may signal unnecessary alarm. Follow up is very useful for patients with known ovarian cancer. Vaginal probe ultrasonography provides visualization of the ovaries. It can pick up an enlargement of the ovaries, possibly indicating early ovarian cancer. However, many benign processes can cause ovarian enlargement, too.
Studies indicate a low detection yield for early cancer.
The risk of surgery may not validate its low identification rate for ovarian cancer. The objective is to identify women with a high genetic risk for ovarian cancer. Mapping the person's family history can indicate the presence of disease. Specialists, such as gynecologic oncologists and genetic counselors, perform such services. Genetic counseling identifies genes that predispose a person to a specific disease.