March 10, 2009 -- A blood test to detect elevated levels of the protein CA125 -- combined with ultrasound -- may prove to be an effective screening strategy for ovarian cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages, new research suggests.

Very early findings from the largest randomized ovarian cancer screening study ever conducted are promising, researchers say.

But it will be several years until it is clear if the screening method evaluated in the trial saves lives.

More than 200,000 postmenopausal women in the U.K. are participating in the study, which will end in 2014.

"These early results show that screening is feasible," study researcher Usha Menon, MD, of the University College London tells WebMD. "But we don't yet know if this screening saves lives and if so, at what cost. The hope is that we will have these answers in 2014."