Study Finds That Blood Test For Ovarian Cancer Misses Some Black & Native American Patients

A newly published study reveals a glaring racial gap in ovarian cancer detection: a widely used blood test, CA-125, may fail to detect the disease in Black and Native American women, potentially delaying life-saving treatment. Published in JAMA Network Open and backed by the National Cancer Institute, the research analyzed data from over 200,000 ovarian cancer patients between 2004 and 2020. It found that Black and Native American women were 23% less likely to have elevated CA-125 levels at diagnosis compared to white patients.

“This is a perfect example of work that absolutely needed to be stratified based on race and ethnicity,” said Dr. Shannon Westin of MD Anderson Cancer Center. She emphasized that normal results on this test shouldn’t be taken at face value, especially in communities already experiencing poorer health outcomes. Native American women have the highest rates of ovarian cancer, while Black women face lower survival rates.

Lead researcher Dr. Anna Jo Smith of the University of Pennsylvania pointed out that early CA-125 studies, dating back to the 1980s, didn’t include diverse populations. “If we have worse performance in certain groups, then we may be further contributing to disparities in referral, disparities in treatment, and ultimately we may be contributing to the lower survival in Black women with ovarian cancer,” Smith said.

The consequences of false negatives are significant: patients with missed diagnoses started chemotherapy an average of nine days later. “That could make a difference for some patients,” Smith added.

The likely culprit? A harmless genetic variation more common in individuals of African, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and West Indian descent. In response, Smith and her team proposed a new, lower threshold for the CA-125 test that could better serve all racial groups. “New thresholds for referral will ensure that all patients get in for rapid care when ovarian cancer is suspected,” she said.

This vital work comes at a time when political attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion threaten the very research designed to close these life-or-death gaps. Without data-driven policies that reflect our population’s diversity, patients of color will continue to face deadly disadvantages.

Link: AP News