Cotton, Vinegar & Light Could Provide Cost-Effective Way to Cut Common Cancer
An international study published in the August 4, 2007, edition of the medical journal The Lancet reports that a simple, inexpensive test can effectively detect early signs of cervical cancer.
The test involves a trained healthcare worker washing the cervix with cotton gauze and acetic acid (a component found in vinegar). After one minute, pre-cancerous lesions turn white and can be detected with a visual examination using a halogen lamp. If lesions are present, they may be treated immediately.
In the study, researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) tracked 49,311 women in India who underwent the new screening test and 30,958 who received standard care. The results of their seven-year study showed the group using the cotton and acid test experienced 35 percent fewer cancer deaths than the group who didn’t utilize the test.
While the test is not meant to replace existing Pap or HPV tests, it is believed the quicker and cheaper method will provide a way for international health organizations to expand screening programs in developing countries. As one expert not affiliated with the IARC study explains,
“Visual inspection won’t have as dramatic an impact as the sophisticated tests, but will have 70 percent of the impact for a miniscule cost.”
Dr Harshad Sanghvi
Medical Director, JHPIEGO
The research was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, but it can usually by prevented with early screening. A vast majority of the 250,000 deaths attributed annually to the disease occur in poor countries where traditional Pap tests and HPV vaccines are too expensive or not readily available.
Source: Associated Press article in jdnews
Related Links: ASCO; Reuters AlertNet; MSNBC
Links for Hearing Impaired: UCSD Sign Language Video Clips on Cervical Cancer
Tags: Dr Rengaswamy Sankaranarayanan; deaf; Johns Hopkins University; Moores Cancer Center
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