Ovarian cancer is among the more rapidly fatal forms of cancer. This year, 22,280 new cases and 15,500 deaths are expected in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.

In most cases, ovarian cancer is already advanced by the time it is diagnosed. Doctors say the only advice they can give women is not to ignore symptoms that may be the first warning of the disease: persistent bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, feeling full early while eating and needing to urinate frequently.

For its latest recommendations, the panel relied heavily on a large study published last year in The Journal of the American American Medical Association of 78,216 women ages 55 to 74. Half were screened and half were not, and they were followed for 11 to 13 years. The screening consisted of ultrasound exams and blood tests for elevated levels of a substance called CA-125, which can be a sign of ovarian cancer.

There was no advantage to screening: the death rate from ovarian cancer was the same in the two groups.

But among the women who were screened, nearly 10 percent — 3,285 women — had false-positive results. Of those women, 1,080 had surgery, usually to remove one or both ovaries. Only after the operations were done was it clear that they had been unnecessary. And at least 15 percent of the women who had surgery had at least one serious complication, like blood clots, infections or surgical injuries to other organs.

To find one case of ovarian cancer, 20 women had to undergo surgery.

The problem with the tests is that CA-125 can be elevated by conditions other than cancer, and ultrasound can reveal ovarian enlargement or cysts that are benign but that cannot be distinguished from cancer without surgery to take out the ovary.