The UK FOCSS study

This page tells you about the UK FOCSS trial. There is information on

What the study is about
Who is taking part in this study
Results of the study

The aim of this study is to find out whether screening women at high risk of ovarian cancer can pick up the disease at an early stage, when treatment is likely to be more successful. More than 6,500 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK every year. We know that women who have 2 or more close relatives with ovarian cancer or breast cancer may have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer themselves. But we don't know yet if screening is helpful.

This study has been looking at screening women who are at high risk because they have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer, or have family members with a known gene fault (such as BRCA 1 or BRCA 2). It is no longer possible to join though. The study now has all the women it needs and has closed to recruitment. This doesn't mean the research is over though. The women taking part will continue to have screening. And the researchers will follow their progress for some years yet, to see if the screening can help to pick up ovarian cancer earlier.

The women who have joined this study had all had one of the cancers listed below, or are a first degree relative of someone diagnosed with one of these cancers. 'First degree relative' means sister, mother or daughter.

The UK FOCSS entry criteria are divided into the following groups

Families with a significant family history of ovarian cancer or both ovarian and breast cancer
Families with a known genetic fault that increases the risk of ovarian cancer
Families with cancers related to HNPCC (Lynch Syndrome)
Families with breast cancer
Families with an Ashkenazi Jewish background

The study also included families with a history of primary peritoneal cancer or fallopian tube cancer rather than ovarian cancer.

A significant family history included women who had 2 or more close relatives with breast or ovarian cancer, particularly if they were diagnosed at a young age. The study also specified women with an Ashkenazi Jewish background because this group are known to be more at risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

The UK FOCSS study stopped recruiting people in March 2010. Results from the first part of this study have recently been published. The researchers think it may be better to do screening tests more often than once a year to pick up ovarian cancer at an early stage in women at increased risk. The researchers are now following up women in the second part of the study who have screening every 4 months. They plan to publish these results in the future. There is more information about the results of the UK FOCSS study in our trials and research section.