Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect. There are no great screening tests to pick up on its presence in the body, and by the time symptoms appear, the disease has often progressed into an advanced stage. But a ray of light has recently emerged in the study of ovarian cancer -- and it could help in the prevention and early detection of this deadly disease.

Think about this, from the April 2007 issue of Woman's Day magazine:

Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine have identified a simple checklist of six symptoms associated with an increased risk of the disease and three of them -- if they occur at least 12 times per month and are present for less than one year -- were present 57 percent of the time in a study of women with early-stage disease.

And the three symptoms are: abdominal and pelvic pain, bloating and difficulty eating, and feeling full quickly.

If you experience these problems, especially if they are frequent or new, contact your doctor because identifying ovarian cancer quickly is key. In its early stages, the cure rate is 90 percent. But for advanced cancer, it's only 20 percent.

Ovarian cancer is often found in advanced stages. Detecting the cancer at the early stages is difficult because the vague symptoms are often missed by physicians who may think other causes are responsible.

A new screening test can help physicians detect ovarian cancer by offering the patients a checklist of symptoms. As many as 90 percent of ovarian cancers can be cured if detected in the early stages. Patients need to know what symptoms to look out for and track the frequency of the symptoms they are experiencing.

The symptoms on the checklist included pelvic and abdominal pain, urinary frequency and urgency, increased abdominal size or bloating; and difficultly eating or feeling full. The screening test picked up early stage ovarian cancer 57 percent of the time, and advanced staged disease 80 percent of the time.

Sherry Salway Black, executive director of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance and a survivor of the disease, said the screening test could change how people think about ovarian cancer. "There is not a lot of general public awareness of the symptoms and risk factors" Black said. "Giving women more information and helping them to be more informed about their own health is critical"