Cancer Research Journal » Cervical Cancer

Cervical Cancer Scientist Shares Nobel Prize for Medicine

Lisa — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:00:51 +0000

The Karolinska Institute in Stockholm has named German virologist Harald zur Hausen a winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine. Dr zur Hausen was recognized for his discovery of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a virus known to cause cervical cancer, the second most common form of cancer in women.

Dr zur Hausen discovered type 16 HPV in 1983 by studying the biopsies of women diagnosed with cervical cancer. A year later, he cloned HPV types 16 and 18, the two forms of the virus responsible for approximately 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. His research led to the development of a vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer.

Dr zur Hausen will share his award with two French virologists, Dr Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Dr Luc Montageir, who are both credited with discovering the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) responsible for causing AIDS.

The 2008 Nobel Prizes for physics, chemistry, literature and peace are scheduled to be announced later this week.

To read more about the amazing scientists and discoveries that have earned the prestigious Nobel Prize, check out NobelPrize.org.

If you’d like to learn about other cervical cancer risk factors, you can visit MayoClinic.com.

Source: The New York Times

Related Links: Reuters; Gynecologic Cancer Foundation

Tags: epidemiology; female cancers; Gardasil , gynecologic cancer; reproductive health; public health; sexually transmitted diseases; women’s health

Walk-In Cervical Cancer Screening Works Well in Canada

Lisa — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:41:20 +0000

Doctors in British Columbia have found an easy way to encourage more women to get screened for cervical cancer: offer Pap tests on a walk-in basis.

After survey results showed more than a third of young adult women were not being routinely tested for cervical cancer, health officials decided to offer screening without requiring an appointment. To test the idea, the BC Cancer Agency offered Pap tests on walk-in basis at 12 medical clinics for one week in May 2008.

The test program expected to attract women who were skipping annual exams because they didn’t have a family physician, but the clinics were surprised to find many patients who had doctors were also attracted to the program because it was easier to fit into their busy schedules. As the project’s organizer said,

“…they used this opportunity because it was convenient or easy, so maybe the convenience of not having to make an appointment was important.”

Dr Dirk Van Niekirk
BC Cancer Agency

The results of the pilot program were so encouraging the Agency has announced plans to expand the program throughout British Columbia in February 2009.

If you’re a patient in the United States who’d like to learn more about cervical cancer and Pap smears, you can visit the American Cancer Society web site.

Source: CBCNews.ca

Related Video: Barbara Lawton’s Cervical Cancer PSA from YouTube

Technorati Tags: early cancer detection; cancer prevention; gynecological cancers; gynecology; HPV; oncology; reproductive cancers; squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix; women’s health

UWTV Offers Podcasts on Gynecologic Cancers

Lisa — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:07:34 +0000

University of Washington Television (UWTV) is offering some informative podcasts about cervical and ovarian cancers.

These free broadcasts are available in both audio and video formats. If you’d like to download one to your computer or iPod, here are the links:

Advances in Cervical Cancer

(Run Time: 58:30)

Early Detection and Prognosis for Ovarian Cancer

(Run Time: 53:34)

HPV and Cervical Cancer: 25 Years from Discovery to Vaccine

(Run Time: 58:30)

All these programs are rated G.

Source: UW On-Air Schedule RSS Feed

Technorati Tags: epidemiology; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; oncology; reproductive cancers; women’s health

Yale and Ugandan Docs Discuss Cancer, Condoms and HIV on Connecticut Radio

Lisa — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:00:42 +0000

Dr Kenneth Miller of the Connecticut Challenge Survivorship Clinic and his special guest, Dr Fred Okuku of East Africa, recently discussed cancer and HIV in Uganda on the radio show Yale Cancer Center Answers.

During the interview, the two doctors talked about the ABC program, AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma, breast, cervical and prostate cancer rates in Africa, as well as other interesting topics. To hear the broadcast, click here.

If you’d like to listen to more broadcasts from Yale Cancer Center Answers, the show airs Sundays on WNPR. The segments usually run about 30 minutes and include a wealth of useful information about breakthroughs in cancer treatment.

Source: Yale Cancer Center Podcast Feed

South Africans Celebrate Arrival of Second PET-CT Scanner

Lisa — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:03:40 +0000

South African health officials are hoping the installation a new Positron Emission Tomography – Computed Tomography (PET-CT) scanner will help them reduce cancer deaths in their country.

While PET-CT imaging devices are commonly used to diagnose cancer in US hospitals, this is only the second one available to patients in South Africa’s public hospitals.

Mr Brian Hlongwa, a representative from the Gauteng Health Department, presided at the machine’s unveiling ceremony where he spoke about the importance of early cancer detection. Cervical cancer alone kills more than 3,000 women in South Africa — often because the disease is not diagnosed until it’s in the advanced stages.

Mr Hlongwa added that the scanner will help bring local care in line with International Cancer Accreditation Standards. As he stated,

“Here is something to be proud of and let us use these resources wisely to help our people enjoy better life.”

Mr Brian Hlongwa
Provincial Health MEC, Gauteng Health Department

The newest PET-CT, which was launched at Pretoria Academic Hospital, will also serve Dr George Mukhari Hospital and the Kalafong Hospital as well as other treatment facilities in the region.

If you’d like to learn more about the cancer rates outside the United States, you can read a report published by the World Health Organization on April 1, 2008.

Source: allAfrica.com

Technorati Tags: international oncology; global health; cancer screening; radiology; x-rays

OR-Live Tonight: Robot-Assisted Gynecological Cancer Surgery

Lisa — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:54:06 +0000

If you’ve been reading our journal for a while, you know I’m a big fan of OR-Live, an innovative web site that lets you watch cutting-edge medical procedures from the comfort of your own home.

OR-Live covers a wide variety of operations going on around the country and tonight’s will involve a cancer patient.

This evening’s feature will be a live robot-assisted gynecological oncology surgery performed by Kelly L. Molpus, MD. The procedure will be performed at the Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The public webcast is scheduled for 7:00 pm EDT, April 24, 2008. If you miss this broadcast, you can view the video later by accessing the OR-Live archives. To learn more or see a preview, visit www.or-live.com/HalifaxHealth/2301/.

Source: OR-Live Upcoming Live Webcasts

Italian Scientists Tie Trop-2 Gene to Tumor Growth

Lisa — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:05:27 +0000

Scientists from the University of Chieti in Italy have found that a gene which normally functions in the placenta during the early stages of pregnancy is also expressed in most human cancers.

Professor Saverio Alberti and his team discovered that the Trop-2 gene was involved in the formation of invasive cells needed during the stage between when the egg is fertilized and the embryo is formed. That finding led them to wonder if Trop-2 might also play a part in another invasive function – tumor growth.

To find out, Alberti’s group studied 1,755 tumors using immunohistochemical analysis. Their research showed that Trop-2 was over-expressed 65% to 90% of the time (with a 74% average occurrence) in different categories of tumors. Additionally, the gene was present in the vast majority of human cancers including breast, colon, stomach, lung, prostate, ovarian, endometrial, cervical, and pancreatic cancers.

In comparison, most other known markers appear much less frequently and are only linked to smaller subgroups, such as PSA for prostate cancer.

Unraveling the secrets of two sequence elements present in the Trop-2 cytoplasmic tail has been one of the most intriguing parts of the study, say the researchers. They are hopeful their work will help identify the specific molecules responsible for the formation of metastases. As Professor Alberti stated,

“If we can identify such molecules we will be approaching a situation where we could influence their activity and hence either encourage or prevent it.”

The team presented their findings at the 14th European Cancer Conference held September 23-27, 2007, in Barcelona, Spain.

Source: News-Medical.Net

Tags: receptor; The Origin-of-Life Prize®; Chieti; blastocyst

A Quick Cancer Test While Your Teeth Get Cleaned

Lisa — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:12:24 +0000

A routine visit to your local dentist may soon include a quick test for oral cancer.

University of Texas researchers have developed a simple and inexpensive test which dentists can use to detect cancerous cells in the mouth in as little as 10 minutes.

A small acrylic testing device strains cells taken from the patient’s mouth and floods them with a fluorescent solution that sticks to proteins known to be biomarkers for cancer. If the proteins are present, they omit an intense green glow that can easily be detected under a fluorescence microscope. The developer of the new machine, John McDevitt, envisions it being standard equipment in all dental offices and believes it could also be adapted to test for other forms of the disease, such as cervical cancer.

Oral cancer is relatively uncommon, but thousands of people die of the disease each year because it often isn’t detected until it has progressed into the advanced stages.

If you’re interested in hearing more about oral cancer, listen to this broadcast from University of Washington Television.

Source: MIT’s Technology Review

Related Links: NIDCR; Mouth Cancer Foundation; abc NEWS

Spanish Links: Oral Cancer Information from NCI

Tags: Austin; San Antonio; UT Health Science Center; microfluidics

Cotton, Vinegar & Light Could Provide Cost-Effective Way to Cut Common Cancer

Lisa — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:40:09 +0000

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

Quest Diagnostics & Digene Corp Extend HPV Testing Contract

Lisa — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:36:37 +0000

Digene Corporation (NASDAQ: DIGE) and Quest Diagnostics, Incorporated (NYSE: DGX) have entered into a four-year extension on their existing contract to provide diagnostic screening for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the primary cause of cervical cancer, one of the most common malignancies affecting women around the world.

Digene currently markets the only FDA-approved test for detecting 13 high-risk types of HPV in women age 30 and older. Their product portfolio also includes the Rapid Capture System(R) which is used to perform HPV assays. Quest Diagnostics operates a network of labs in the U.S. with instrumentation and reagents for HPV testing.

Source: Digene Corporation