Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recent update to NICE guideline on ovarian cancer, what consideration he has given to implementing dual testing using CA125 and ultrasound at the same time for women of all ages.

The recent update to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on ovarian cancer included the consideration of the dual use of CA125 and ultrasound, and there was no evidence identified for this review question. The committee did not recommend dual testing and instead retained a sequential approach. For women aged 40 years old and over, this means measuring CA125 first and arranging an ultrasound where indicated. For those aged 39 years old and under, the guideline recommends ultrasound, as CA125 alone is not an accurate indicator of ovarian cancer risk in this age group. Full details are set out in NICE’s evidence review, at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12/evidence/b-dual-testing-with-serum-ca125-and-ultrasound-scan-compared-to-serum-ca125-alone-and-age-and-serum-pdf-15669144110