A team of researchers at Fujita Health University in Japan are paving the way towards developing a more sensitive, precise method for early detection of cervical cancer. The team’s work is described in a recent article published in Cancer Science.
Cervical cancer is a malignant disease that affects almost half a million new individuals each year. The number of people afflicted with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) lesions is also quiet high, higher than the rate of new cases. And with any cancer, early detection is paramount to ensuring patients get the best treatment possible to improve their outcomes.
Currently, there are two common methods employed to help aid with early detection of cervical cancer. The first, cytology (the microscopic evaluation of cells to look for malignant ones), is common and well established. However, it lacks a reasonable level of specificity to make it a reliable option. The other, HPV testing, is highly accurate, but the presence of HPV does not always lead to the formation of CIN lesions, underscoring a need for something with the right degree of specificity for detecting this particular disease.
The research team at Fujita Health University have turned to a new source to devise a diagnostic method: cervical mucus. Specifically, the team found they could effectively detect abnormal cells indicative of CIN in both serum samples and patient cervical mucus samples. The team collected both blood serum and cervical mucus samples from patients undergoing gynecological exams over an eight year period. Initial analysis of the samples revealed miRNAs and cytokine candidates that might indicate the progression of cervical cancer in patients. Further analysis of samples with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and cytokine assays revealed more these markers, including confirmation of their abnormal expression in people with cervical cancer. The team then examined the extent to which these different markers in blood versus cervical mucus samples could be a more powerful predictor of disease. The team found that the abnormal expression of these markers at a more local level (ie, cervical mucus samples) proved to have more diagnostic accuracy than more global level testing (blood).
Sources: EurekAlert!; Cancer Science
