Symptoms, ultrasound imaging and biochemical markers alone or in combination for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer in women with symptoms suspicious of ovarian cancer

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To establish the accuracy of symptoms, ultrasound and biomarkers alone or in combination for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer in pre- and postmenopausal women. To compare the accuracy of different tests or test combinations. We will investigate the following sources of heterogeneity: Population Clinical setting (generalist/primary care/community/family practice) versus specialist setting (cancer unit/cancer centre/gynaecological oncology) Menopausal status Index tests Test positivity threshold Experience of the ultrasound test operator (general sonographers versus specialist interest) Target condition Histological subtype Study quality Case-control versus other study designs Study quality: for study participants not receiving surgery initially following a negative index test result: 12 months follow-up versus less than 12 months follow-up