International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

The US-based Moffitt Cancer Center and Frantz BioMarkers are to collaborate on ovarian cancer biomarker research, it has been revealed.

The institutions are attempting to develop an effective screening tool for accurate diagnosis of the condition without the need for surgery.

A license agreement has been signed to grant Frantz BioMarkers exclusive worldwide rights to Moffitt's biomarkers, with the former paying initiation, developmental milestone and license maintenance fees, plus royalties.

Moffitt Cancer Center says the only clinical blood biomarker currently available for diagnosis is CA125, which is "unreliable".

This is especially the case when the condition is at an early stage and most treatable, it is claimed.

Last month, research conducted by researchers at the John Wayne Cancer Institute, US, published in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, claimed that women who have both ovaries removed during a hysterectomy are at greater risk of suffering death from other conditions such as coronary heart disease and lung cancer.