Tampons Could Help Predict Endometrial Cancer

A new study shows that vaginal secretions in tampons can be used to detect the presence of endometrial cancer DNA.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA) obtained samples from 66 women who were about to undergo a hysterectomy, 38 of them due to endometrial cancer and 28 due to other indications. Each woman used an intravaginal tampon to collect vaginal secretions and also underwent endometrial brushing, a procedure that uses a wire brush to scrape cells from the inner lining of the uterus. The researchers then isolated DNA from the samples and analyzed 97 methylation sites along 12 different genes.

The researchers found that methylation was higher in specimens from women with endometrial cancer for 9 of the 12 genes analyzed; the results were similar regardless of whether DNA was acquired through a tampon or endometrial brushing. The researchers are now looking for additional genes that are mutated or methylated in the earliest stages of endometrial cancer. Once a final lineup of genes is determined, the test will be validated using samples obtained through a clinical trial that is currently accruing 1,000 women at higher risk of endometrial cancer. The study was published ahead of print in February 2015, in Gynecologic Oncology.

“Unfortunately, there is no equivalent to a Pap smear or a mammogram for endometrial cancer,” said lead author gynecologic oncologist Jamie Bakkum-Gamez, MD. “We know that the earlier a woman is diagnosed, the better the likelihood is that she is going to have a positive outcome from cancer treatment. Our goal is to use our findings to develop a tool for the early detection of endometrial cancer that women could use in the comfort of their own homes.”

Endometrial cancer begins in the endometrium, a layer of cells that form the lining of the uterus. It is often detected at an early stage since it frequently produces abnormal vaginal bleeding which prompts women to see their doctors. Risk factors include hormonal imbalance (estrogen versus progesterone); irregular ovulation patterns; early menstruation; never having been pregnant; old age; obesity; tamoxifen hormone therapy for breast cancer; and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), a syndrome that increases the risk of colon cancer and other cancers, including endometrial cancer. If discovered early enough, removing the uterus often cures endometrial cancer.

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