A new blood tests has been developed that Yale researchers say can detect ovarian cancer with 99 per cent accuracy.

The test uses six protein biomarkers to identify proteins in the bloodstream that signal an ovarian tumour is present in the body. The test is 99.4 per cent effective.

Previous tests for ovarian cancer only used four protein biomarkers and recognized only 15 to 20 per cent of new ovarian tumours.

"The ability to recognize almost 100 per cent of new tumours will have a major impact on the high death rates of this cancer," said lead author Gil Mor, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale, in a release. "We hope this test will become the standard of care for women having routine examinations."

The Canadian Cancer Society says about 2,400 new cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed in Canada in 2007.

In a Phase 2 clinical trial, researchers tested the blood serum of 350 patients without ovarian cancer and 150 ovarian cancer patients. The number of proteins in each participant's blood were counted.

Once the results were tabulated, the Early Detection Research Network of the National Cancer Institute independently evaluated the findings.

"Testing the proteins produced by the body in response to the presence of the tumour as well as the proteins the tumours produce, helped us to create a unique picture that can detect early ovarian cancer," said Mor.

A Phase 3 trial is now underway, with 2,000 patients enrolled.

The findings are published in the Feb. 15 issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research.