Researchers have revealed that regular blood tests can detect 86% of ovarian cancers in women before it’s too late. The first results of the 14-year trial of more than 46,000 women have appeared very promising and could lead to national screening.

Ovarian cancer affects 7,100 women each year in the UK and 4,200 of them succumb to the disease. It is not easy for medics to detect ovarian cancer as its symptoms, like abdominal pain, persistent bloating and difficulty eating, are also exhibited by patients suffering from other conditions.

High levels of a chemical called CA125 are spewed by ovarian tumors. Annual blood tests were performed by the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening on post-menopausal women across 13 NHS Trusts.

Results of the trial have been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Prof Usha Menon, from University College London, told the BBC News website, “It's good, but the truth lies in whether we've picked up the cancer early enough to save lives, we hope we have. There is no screening at the moment so we are awaiting the results before the NHS can decide”.

The trial began in 2001 and the last blood tests were performed in 2011. Now, we have the first results of the trial.

Prof. Menon said the trial has made it clear that ovarian cancers can be picked up earlier than they normally would be, which increases the chances of providing a successful treatment.

Dr. James Brenton, an ovarian cancer specialist with Cancer Research UK, said it’s great to know that a blood test can make it possible to identify women at risk of ovarian cancer. However, there is still a need to conduct further tests to see if it cab cave lives of women.