DNA-based Test: An Effective Tool for Cervical Cancer Screening in Low-income Countries

by Adeline Dorcas on May 4, 2019 at 12:01 PM

Inexpensive DNA-based test can be used for cervical cancer screening in low- and middle-income countries, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in ASCO's Journal of Global Oncology.

Cervical cancer is a major issue in low- and middle-income countries due to the lack of adequate screening such as routine Pap smear testing. These countries have high incidences of cervical cancer linked to human papillomavirus (HPV). Due to lack of resources for cancer screenings, these countries account for 85 percent of all cervical cancer cases.

Cervical Cancer

Cancer cervix refers to cancerous growth in the cervix and usually occurs in the transition called squamo-columnar junction.

‘Inexpensive DNA-based test for human papillomavirus (HPV) can be used effectively in low- and middle-income countries, where the prevalence of cervical cancer is high due to lack of screening resources.’
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A group of researchers from Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center, led by Gregory Tsongalis, Ph.D., have introduced an inexpensive DNA-based testing protocol for HPV in Honduras. The team found that of 1,732 women screened, 28 percent were positive for a high-risk HPV type and of those, 26 percent had more than one HPV infection. Results also showed that the most common HPV genotypes detected during testing were different than those commonly found in the United States. Their findings, "Screening for Human Papillomavirus in a Low- and Middle-Income Country" is newly published in ASCO's Journal of Global Oncology.

"We have shown that cervical cancer screening can be implemented in low-resource settings using this method, and that women are very interested and engaged in testing and follow-up clinic visits when necessary," says Tsongalis. "This study also identified something we were not expecting and that is a very significant difference in the types of high-risk HPV that we were detecting."

Pap smear and Cervical Cancer Screening

Pap smear is the most common test used in screening cervical cancer caused by an infection with human papilloma virus. Pap smear should be repeated every 1 to 3 years till the age of 65 years.

Such findings could mean profound implications for vaccination programs. "The causes of cervical cancer, while viral in nature, are not always the same type of virus and that could impact aggressiveness of the disease, vaccinations, and therapies," says Tsongalis.

The team would like to use their findings to guide studies of actual cervical cancer tissue and also to formulate therapeutic vaccine trials. "Being able to screen individuals who have never been tested before and studying the impact of the testing on their healthcare as well as our understanding of the biology of the disease is most exciting," says Tsongalis.

Source: Eurekalert

Human Papillomavirus Infection

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, depending on the human papillomavirus that causes it, can result in common warts or can cause cervical cancer.

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