3 gynecologic cancer myths, busted
June 29, 2026
There are a lot of misconceptions around gynecologic cancers and the doctors who treat them.
So, beware if someone tries to tell you that:
- Pap tests can screen you for anything other than cervical cancer,
- All you need to diagnose ovarian cancer is an elevated CA-125 level, or
- Gynecologic oncologists can treat you for breast cancer, too.
Not one of those claims is true.
Gynecologic oncologists , and dispelled these and other myths surrounding gynecologic cancers during a recent episode of UT MD Anderson¡¯s Cancerwise podcast.
Here are three highlights they shared.
Fact: Gynecologic oncologists only treat ¡®below the belt¡¯ female cancers
Gynecologic oncologists don¡¯t treat every type of female cancer. While they do treat most cancers related to the female reproductive system, they don¡¯t treat one of the most common: breast cancer.
¡°Some people see gynecologic oncologists as kind of the ultimate doctor because we do surgery and prescribe other treatments, too,¡± says Westin. ¡°But we typically only treat women¡¯s cancers that occur ¡®below-the-belt.¡¯ That includes endometrial, ovarian, cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers. That does not include breast cancer.¡±
This is a very important distinction, Westin notes, because once you know you have a certain type of cancer, you need to seek out a specialist for that exact disease. Look for someone who treats it every day, not someone who just dabbles in it, or only sees it once or twice a year.
¡°The best outcomes happen when you see a specialist,¡± notes Westin. ¡°So, it¡¯s essential that you¡¯re not the first person they¡¯ve ever seen with this disease. I really can¡¯t emphasize that enough. You want to make sure you¡¯re in the right place, getting the right treatment, from someone with experience treating that exact cancer.¡±
Featured Podcast:
What to know about gynecologic cancers
Fact: Pap tests can¡¯t replace your annual well-woman exam
Pap tests are very effective at what they do. But they¡¯re only designed to detect cervical cancer and its precursors.
¡°I¡¯ve had several patients say, ¡®Oh, I already had a Pap smear. Doesn¡¯t that screen for ovarian cancer, too?¡¯¡± says Soliman. ¡°The reality is, no. It doesn¡¯t. The reason you have a Pap test is for early detection of precancer or dysplasia, so we can prevent cervical cancer.¡±
Well-woman exams enable you to have a pelvic exam, too, and discuss any symptoms you might be experiencing.
¡°Those are what can be helpful in terms of finding other gynecologic cancers,¡± Soliman explains.
Fact: No universal screening protocol exists for ovarian cancer
Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if a simple blood test could tell you if you had ovarian cancer?
Years ago, researchers thought that might be the case. So, they began testing more women for elevated CA-125 levels and taking those who met certain criteria into surgery.
Ultimately, that hypothesis proved not to be true, so researchers stopped the additional testing.
¡°When we¡¯ve looked at studies where doctors just got CA-125s on everybody, they ended up doing too much,¡± Westin explains. ¡°They ended up taking people to surgery and having worse outcomes, but not actually finding a higher number of cancers. So, it doesn¡¯t work the way we would like it to.¡±
Westin notes that researchers are still on the hunt for other markers or algorithms that can clearly identify people who have early stage ovarian cancer. ¡°But at this point,¡± she says, ¡°we do not recommend doing CA-125 tests on everybody.¡±
To hear the full conversation between Soliman and Westin, listen to .
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