--- title: Blood Test May Detect Ovarian Cancer At Its Earliest Stages description: Ovarian cancer is treatable is detected early, but 70% of cases aren't diagnosed until it's too late. A promising blood test may change that. 7135647 canonical: https://time.com/archive/7135647/blood-test-may-detect-ovarian-cancer-at-its-earliest-stages/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-08-26T15:10:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-16T09:54:57.780Z article:section: Health og:title: Blood Test May Detect Ovarian Cancer At Its Earliest Stages og:description: Ovarian cancer is treatable is detected early, but 70% of cases aren't diagnosed until it's too late. A promising blood test may change that. 7135647 og:url: https://time.com/archive/7135647/blood-test-may-detect-ovarian-cancer-at-its-earliest-stages/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37e33bbf9d6e704f/698a92899d83e857fdba01b9/90286497.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: 90286497 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Blood Test May Detect Ovarian Cancer At Its Earliest Stages twitter:description: Ovarian cancer is treatable is detected early, but 70% of cases aren't diagnosed until it's too late. A promising blood test may change that. 7135647 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37e33bbf9d6e704f/698a92899d83e857fdba01b9/90286497.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) # Blood Test May Detect Ovarian Cancer At Its Earliest Stages > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=11b9e88b-fd6b-4742-bde4-5d27283d165b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=11b9e88b-fd6b-4742-bde4-5d27283d165b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=11b9e88b-fd6b-4742-bde4-5d27283d165b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=11b9e88b-fd6b-4742-bde4-5d27283d165b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Aug 26, 2013 3:10 PM UTC  Patient sitting on treatment couch Patient sitting on treatment couch Getty Images/Image Source—(c) Image Source by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Aug 26, 2013 3:10 PM UTC Ovarian cancer is treatable is detected early, but 70% of cases aren’t diagnosed until it’s too late. A promising blood test may change that. more Each year, about 20,000 women are diagnosed with [ovarian cancer](http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/05/a-genetic-test-identifies-chemo-resistant-ovarian-cancers/), and about 14,000 will die from the disease. While 90% of those diagnosed early will be alive five years later, there is no reliable way of identifying abnormal growths in the ovaries, leading to later detection, when the cancer has spread to other tissues and survival rates typically drop to about 30%. That’s why researchers are excited about the latest results, published online in the journal _Cancer,_ from a blood test that could detect the first signs of ovarian cancer. For 11 years, scientists from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston studied just over 4,000 post-menopausal women who were screened for changes in a blood protein called CA125, which serves a biomarker for tumors. While this protein has been used before to predict ovarian cancer, the results haven’t been reliable, since researchers frequently relied on just one test result. In the current study, the scientists repeated the test and compared the readings; the changing levels of CA125 told a more consistent story about the women’s risk of developing ovarian cancer. (**MORE:** [Screening for Ovarian Cancer Doesn’t Increase Women’s Survival](http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/05/screening-for-ovarian-cancer-doesnt-increase-womens-survival/)) All women received an initial CA125 test, and based on their age and those results, they were split into three groups: low, intermediate and high risk. Those considered low risk received another CA125 test a year later. The intermediate group had another CA125 test only three months after their first, and the high risk women received a transvaginal ultrasound and were referred to an oncologist. Over the 11 years, the strategy was 40% accurate in predicting the presence of ovarian cancer, and in identifying cancer early. Even more promising was its 99.9% specificity, which means there was an extremely low risk of false-positive results. (**MORE:** [How Height is Connected to Cancer](http://healthland.time.com/2013/07/26/how-height-is-connected-to-cancer/)) Although very encouraging, however, the test is not quite ready for the clinic. The research team is waiting for the results of a similar study in the UK that in which more than 200,000 women are being screened using the same algorithm. “If the results of this study are also positive, then this will result in a change of practice,” study author Dr. Karen Lu said in a statement. Understanding how changing CA125 levels reflect risk of cancer is an important breakthrough that could shift the diagnosis of ovarian cancer much earlier, to a stage when interventions with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or medications are more effective. “I was more excited reading this study than I have been in a really long time,” Debbie Saslow, director of breast and gynecologic cancers for the American Cancer Society [said to HealthDay](http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/08/26/new-hope-for-early-detection-of-ovarian-cancer). “Not only was \[the screening\] finding cancers in both of those studies, but it was finding them early. That’s what we want to do.” **SEE ALSO:** [**The Big Surprise of Martin Luther King’s Speech** ](http://www.time.com/time/onedream/speech/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7135647/blood-test-may-detect-ovarian-cancer-at-its-earliest-stages/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7135647/blood-test-may-detect-ovarian-cancer-at-its-earliest-stages/"},"headline":"Blood Test May Detect Ovarian Cancer At Its Earliest Stages","datePublished":"2013-08-26T15:10:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T09:54:57.780Z","description":"Ovarian cancer is treatable is detected early, but 70% of cases aren't diagnosed until it's too late. A promising blood test may change that. 7135647","url":"https://time.com/archive/7135647/blood-test-may-detect-ovarian-cancer-at-its-earliest-stages/","keywords":["Cancer"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37e33bbf9d6e704f/698a92899d83e857fdba01b9/90286497.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt37e33bbf9d6e704f/698a92899d83e857fdba01b9/90286497.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"90286497","caption":"90286497","creditText":"Getty Images/Image Source—(c) Image Source","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/archive/7135647/blood-test-may-detect-ovarian-cancer-at-its-earliest-stages/","name":"Blood Test May Detect Ovarian Cancer At Its Earliest Stages"}}]}] ```