Video: Local research leading battle against ovarian cancer

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Richie Meche's mother died of ovarian cancer. At 46, Richie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer too.

"Washington state is the third highest for the incidence and the highest for mortality, something that we shouldn't be proud of," said Nancy Sclater of the Marcia Rivken Center for Ovarian Cancer Research.

But there is also reason for hope -- a promising urine test. Researcher Patricia Kruk found that ovarian cancer patients produce a much higher level of a protein called BCL-2.

"There's a very big difference, there's a doubling if not more of level of BCL-2 in their urine," she said.

She says a urine test would be quick and inexpensive.

"It would be nice if it could become a standard test that's done annually at your annual women's exam," she said.

Until then, the highly unreliable ca-125 blood test remains the only approved option.

However, Fred Hutchinson Cancer researcher Robyn Andersen found that when that test is combined with a symptom index, the accuracy goes up.

Important warning signs include sudden onset of pelvic or abdominal pain, bloating or increased abdominal size, difficulty eating, or feeling full quickly.

"The suspicion is that ovarian cancer may be a very quick-moving cancer for most women who have it and therefore waiting a couple of months would be a real problem," said Dr. Andersen.

When discovered early, the cure rate for ovarian cancer is more than 90 percent. In later stages, it drops to 20 percent.

The urine test could be available in a few years. Although it was developed by a researcher in Florida, funding came from the Marsha Rivkin Center For Ovarian Cancer Research here in Seattle.