An international group of researchers has developed a test capable of detecting cancers of the cervix and the body of the uterus, ovary and breast four before they are diagnosed.
- In France, nearly 3,000 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed each year.
- “This new method is more specific and does not lead to the use of unnecessary and/or harmful medical treatment,” according to the authors.
“Currently, there is no high-specificity triage method to detect endocervical cells in women and prevent cervical cancer. There is an urgent need to develop a systematic test that can perform accurate triage, regardless of sample heterogeneity and age”, said scientists from University College London (England) and the University of Innsbruck (Austria).
Female cancer: a test identifies changes in the cells of the cervix
That’s why they developed a test that can accurately identify potentially dangerous changes in cells in the cervix up to four years before they occur. The test works by looking at DNA methylation, an extra layer of information above DNA, of endocervical cells. As a reminder, it can be altered by factors related to the environment and lifestyle, and certain modifications increase the risk of certain pathologies such as cancer.
Analyze 1,254 cervical cancer screening samples
To find out if their test is effective, the team performed a study published in the journal GenomeMedicine. She collected and tested 1,254 cervical cancer screening samples. Samples were taken, using cervical swabs, from women with cellular changes ranging from low to high risk, from patients with human papillomavirus but no changes in cervical cells ; and volunteers with no endocervical cell changes but developing high-risk cell changes within four years.
Test predicted cellular changes in 55% of HPV patients
According to the authors, the test performed better than existing techniques in identifying cellular changes. According to the results, the test predicted cell changes in the cervix in 55% of women who had human papillomavirus infection but no cell changes visible under the microscope. The patients in question showed cellular changes four years after taking the test.
“Importantly, our work has shown how analysis of the same cervical sample can also provide information about a woman’s risk of contracting three other major cancers: breast cancer, ovaries and uterus, said Martin Widschwendter, author of the study, in a statement. The team hopes that the development of the test will make it possible to treat people at risk of cancer more quickly.
