Researchers at the University of Louisville, Kentucky are developing a blood test may one day help doctors detect ovarian and uterine cancers at earlier, more treatable stages than is currently possible. The test detects membrane fragments from tumors that have been shed into the blood. The study involved more than 175 women who were healthy or had benign or malignant ovarian disease or early- or late-stage uterine cancer. When the researchers took blood samples from the women, they found tumor membrane fragments in those with both ovarian and uterine cancers. In addition, women with late-stage uterine cancer had more membrane fragments in their blood than women with early-stage disease. No membrane fragments were found in healthy women or those with benign ovarian disease, results showed. The study also found that certain proteins that have previously been associated with these cancers--MMP-2, MMP-9 and Fas ligand--were present on the membrane fragments.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued new guidelines designed to help healthcare providers determine how often their patients should be screened for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Under the new guidelines, doctors are urged to screen all sexually active adolescent and young adult women up to 24 years old for chlamydia annually. Women older than 24 who have multiple partners should also be screened for chlamydia every year, the CDC recommends, and women who have been infected should be rescreened 3 to 4 months after completing treatment.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital are developing an early warning test for pre-eclampsia. They have found that women who eventually develop pre-eclampsia are more likely to have reduced blood levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). The study is part of the hospital's Obstetrical Maternal Study, a prospective study of more than 4,500 women looking to identify risk factors for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
Source: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, April 2002