The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a test for women who have developed tumors in the pelvic region known to need surgery. The test is called OVA1 and it will be helpful to doctors to decide if the tumor is an ovarian cancer and what should be their procedure to advance towards surgery.

Some women with negative results from ovarian cancer tests will be identified with OVA1 whose surgical cases will benefit from a gynecological oncologist's involvement.

Gynecological oncologists are doctors who are specialists in women cancers. They have been observed to be helpful in improving survival when they perform ovarian cancer surgery, says the FDA.

The new blood test is meant for women aged 18 and above who have tumors in the pelvis but not for screening of ovarian cancer or replace diagnostics whci is used to detect ovarian cancer.

California based company, Vermillion Inc. in collaboration with scientists at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore produces OVA1. The FDA has much more information about this approval.

This is also the first FDA-cleared test for ovarian cancer that can indicate the likehood that the cancer is highly sensitive even before the biopsy or exploratory surgery.