Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica
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Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand · Dec 2019
Ovarian cancer stage, variation in transvaginal ultrasound examination rates and the impact of an urgent referral pathway: A national ecological cohort study.
The aim of this study was to determine whether variation in transvaginal ultrasound examination rates in Danish general practice populations is associated with ovarian cancer outcomes, and to explore the impact of the introduction of a cancer patient pathway for ovarian cancer. ⋯ Before the cancer patient pathway, women exposed most to transvaginal ultrasound were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with early stage ovarian cancer compared with those least exposed to transvaginal ultrasound. After the cancer patient pathway was implemented, the difference disappeared. This suggests that increased awareness and access to transvaginal ultrasound is useful for diagnosing early-stage ovarian cancer.