Pray for Sharon Cobb and Thank God for the CA 125 Test

Well known Nashville political blogger and former MSNBC correspondent Sharon Cobb is had surgery at Vanderbilt yesterday to remove malignant growths in her ovaries. According to Katherine Coble Sharon came out of surgery with a clean bill of health, but will need at least a few more days to make a full recovery. Fortunately, she and her doctor found the growths before the cancer had spread.

Sharon says of ovarian cancer:

By the time ovarian cancer is diagnosed, it’s usually too late. The odds of long term survival are between 10-20 percent. Stage one ovarian cancer, however, has a long term survival rate of over 90 percent. It’s almost never caught at that stage. *Almost* never.

Last month when I went for my annual physical I insisted on a CA 125, as I have done for a decade. Every year my Doctor tells me he does the test to appease me. This year was no different. In fact, this year, he was a bit cranky with me and told me to bring in some concrete proof that a CA 125 will catch ovarian cancer before it has spread.

About the CA 125 test, she adds:

Assuming I don’t die from the anesthesia or surgery, then I will be living proof that a CA 125 saved my life. I saved my life.

If you are a woman, don’t take “No” for an answer when you have an annual visit to the doctor. Tell him/her you demand a CA 125. Do, however, read up on it first. Understand why the doctor might not want to run it. Be informed. Take control of the situation. If your doctor refuses to run the test, find one who will.