A method of detecting a cancer, such as ovarian cancer, in a test subject including (a) determining the amount of a lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine in a sample of a bodily fluid taken from the test subject, and (b) comparing the amount of the lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine in the sample of the bodily fluid taken from the test subject to a range of amounts of the lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine found in samples of the bodily fluid taken from a group of normal subjects of the same species as the test subject and lacking the cancer, such as ovarian cancer, whereby a change in the amount of the lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine in the sample of the bodily fluid from the test subject indicates the presence of the cancer, such as ovarian cancer.