I think that they article in the age is of very low quality and spends a fair but of time trying to make a superior test look bad, with the sole purpose of stirring up emotions.
Given that when looking at cancer survival rates you are generally looking at time spans such as 2 yr/5yr/10yrs.
This would mean that any benefits/disadvantages related to early detection will require a number of years of using the test before this question can be answered. Statements saying that 'there is no proven benefit' happen to be true now as the test is new and hasn't be used on large numbers of women, but may not be true in a few years time.
It certainly sounds reasonable that using a test that has high levels of specificity and sensitivity would be of significant benefits.
It means that if you have a negative test you can feel a high level of reassurance that you are unlikely to have ovarian cancer and so may be able to avoid undergoing a number of medical procedures, all containing an element of risk, as well as life disruption.
It also mean that if it is positive then there is a very good chance you have the disease so can get on with getting the appropriate treatment, which may mean that you have better outcome.
(As opposed to say the national bowel screening program where the vast majority of people with a positive test don't actually have anything wrong with them, but have to go through the 'pleasure' of a colonoscopy)
So given this I don't understand the statement implying that more women will undergo unnecessary procedures, and the result they receive will create more uncertainty? Surely the opposite has to be true.
I suspect that if pushed the journalist would struggle to list 'The Doctors and Researches', and most likely just had a brief chat on the phone to someone at the National cancer centre. Then went to work to make the story sound more controversial.
It would be good to help those with strong family histories of ovarian cancer.
Just a few thought to add to the mix
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