The Cancer Group was out in force at this year’s NCRI annual conference in Glasgow, the UK’s largest forum showcasing the latest advances in cancer research.

One of the undoubted highlights was the was Garth Funston (left) presenting early results from his CanTest PhD project during the proffered paper session. Dr Funston discussed the diagnostic performance of the CA125 blood test for ovarian cancer in general practice, from a population-based cohort study of over 50,000 women. Concluding that CA125 is a useful test for ovarian cancer, especially in women over 50 years old, the results may be used by patients and clinicians to determine the estimated probability of having ovarian cancer at any CA125 level. This could help guide decisions on the need for further investigation or referral.

Praised for his engaging delivery of this important work, Garth’s presentation follows hot on the heels of his systematic review of international guidelines on the variation in the initial assessment and investigation for ovarian cancer in symptomatic women in BMC Cancer.