Test for Cervical Cancer Is Based on Light Reflection

A rapid and painless test is being developed for the early detection of disease that leads to cervical cancer.

The technology is designed to quickly eliminate false-positive Pap and human papillomavirus (HPV) results and discover cervical disease missed by existing tests. Unlike Pap and HPV tests, the device does not require a painful tissue sample and results are known immediately.

The new technology developed by SpectRx, Inc. (Norcross, GA, USA), uses light to scan the cervix for disease and analyzing light reflected from the cervix. The technology distinguishes between normal and diseased tissue by detecting biochemical and morphological changes at the cellular level. To date, more than 2,000 women have been tested with prototypes of the non-invasive cervical cancer detection device. The non-invasive test for cervical cancer that could potentially eliminate more than three million unnecessary follow-up exams to Pap tests is undergoing testing at the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami (FL, USA), as well as a number of other medical institutions in the United States.

The new device is smaller and collects results more quickly than previous prototypes involved in the trial. This non-invasive cervical cancer detection test could reduce unnecessary cervical biopsies by 55% while accurately detecting disease, according to results of a study published in the January 2007 edition of the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease.

According to published reports, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer, after breast cancer, among women worldwide and the third most common overall. Globally, there are approximately 471,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed annually and approximately 233,000 deaths per year.


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