COMBINED WITH PAP, NEW TEST MAY DETECT MORE CERVICAL CANCERS.Byline: Angela La Voie Medical Tribune News Service When combined with the Pap smear Pap smear or Papanicolaou smear Sample of cells from the vagina and cervix of the uterus for laboratory staining and examination to detect genital herpes and early-stage cancer, especially of the cervix. Developed by the Greek-born U.S. , a new technique may help doctors better detect early signs of cervical cancer Cervical Cancer Definition Cervical cancer is a disease in which the cells of the cervix become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably, forming tumors. , researchers report. Since the Pap smear was developed in the early 1940s, it has resulted in a 70 percent decrease in the number of deaths resulting from cervical cancer in the United States. But the test still misses some precancerous precancerous /pre·can·cer·ous/ (-kan´ser-us) pertaining to a pathologic process that tends to become malignant. pre·can·cer·ous adj. lesions. In a new study of 5,692 women ages 16 to 60 who underwent routine Pap smear screening followed by a second test called speculoscopy, investigators found that using the two tests together yielded a higher detection rate than using the Pap smear alone. With speculoscopy, a doctor uses special lighting and magnification to view the cervix, the neck of the uterus. Although the technique was developed several years ago, it is currently used only for research purposes. The use of speculoscopy increased the detection of high-grade precancerous lesions by 34 percent and low-grade lesions by 81 percent, researchers led by Dr. Paul T. Wertlake of Unilab Corp. in Tarzana reported in the September issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. ``In the present study, the most important finding was that 34 percent of the lesions most likely to become malignant that were identified were in women with a negative Pap smear but positive speculoscopy,'' the researchers wrote. Based on these findings, the use of speculoscopy in conjunction with routine Pap smears could further reduce the rate of cervical cancer, the researchers concluded. But an Alabama expert questioned the value of the new study. ``First of all, this was not a randomized ran·dom·ize tr.v. ran·dom·ized, ran·dom·iz·ing, ran·dom·iz·es To make random in arrangement, especially in order to control the variables in an experiment. , controlled trial controlled trial Clinical research A clinical study in which one group of participants receives an experimental drug while the other receives either a placebo or an approved–'gold standard' therapy. See Blinding, Double-blinded. ,'' said Dr. Ronald D. Alvarez, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology obstetrics and gynecology Medical and surgical specialty concerned with the management of pregnancy and childbirth and with the health of the female reproductive system. at the University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB began in 1936 as the Birmingham Extension Center of the University of Alabama. Because of the rapid growth of the Birmingham area, it was decided that an extension program for students who had difficulties which prevented them from studying in Tuscaloosa was needed. . He was referring to the fact that the researchers did not include a comparison group of women who were given only a Pap smear. Randomized, controlled trials are considered the ``gold standard'' of medical research. Also, because Pap smear screening missed an unusually high number of lesions in the current study, the researchers' findings may reflect the inferiority of the pathology labs evaluating the Pap smears rather than the benefits of speculoscopy, he said. |
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