SAN DIEGO, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- In a study of more than 2,000 women, a group of physicians found that detection of precancerous changes in the cervix improved by more than 26 percent when a new optical detection system was used in conjunction with colposcopy. The findings, which were announced at the Society of Gynecologic Oncologist’s (SGO) Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, are the first from a randomized controlled clinical trial that tested the effectiveness of the new optical detection technology.
Specifically, the study examined 2,186 women in 13 clinical sites with 51 colposcopists. The researchers found that by using the optical detection system in conjunction with colposcopy, 238 cases of biopsy-confirmed CIN 2,3 (or precancer) were identified compared to 218 cases identified through use of colposcopy alone. Based on these results, the authors concluded that more than 100,000 additional cases of precancer could be identified each year if the optical detection system is used in conjunction with colposcopy.
“These findings are critical because when cervical precancerous changes are detected, effective treatment can prevent progression to cervical cancer,” said Michael A. Gold, M.D., University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. “By getting more women to be screened and by increasing the sensitivity of detection systems, we can eliminate unnecessary deaths from cervical cancer.”
Dr. Gold further noted that, in the future, this method of evaluation may reduce the need for painful biopsies in women undergoing evaluation for abnormal Pap tests.
More information about the study can be found in the manuscript “Optical Detection of Cervical Neoplasia: Results from a Randomized, Dual-arm, Multi- Center Clinical Trial.” The authors of the study are: Michael A. Gold, MD, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Joan L. Walker, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Warner K. Huh, MD, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center; Ronald D. Alvarez, MD, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center; Kathleen McIntyre-Seltman, MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine - Magee Women’s Hospital; Leo B. Twiggs, University of Miami School of Medicine; Diane M. Harper, MD, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical School; Michael Sundborg, MD, Brooke Army Medical Center; Christine Holschneider, MD, Olive View - UCLA Medical Center; Stephanie Blank, MD, New York University School of Medicine - Bellevue Medical Center; Robert Edwards, MD, Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center; Juan C. Felix, MD, Medical College of George; and Daron G. Ferris, MD, Medical College of Georgia.
It is estimated that between 2 and 2.75 million women in the U.S. each year require colposcopy for the evaluation of cervical cancer.
Worldwide, more than 500,000 women die of cervical cancer each year. In the U.S., of the 50-60 million women who have a Pap test each year, 3-5 million of these women will have an abnormal result. There are 12,200 new cervical cancers diagnosed in the U.S. each year and approximately 4,100 deaths from the disease.
The SGO is a national medical specialty organization of physicians who are trained in the comprehensive management of women with malignancies of the reproductive tract. Its purpose is to improve the care of women with gynecologic cancer by encouraging research, disseminating knowledge which will raise the standards of practice in the prevention and treatment of gynecologic malignancies and cooperating with other organizations interested in women’s health care, oncology and related fields. The Society’s membership is primarily comprised of gynecologic oncologists, as well as other related medical specialists such as, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and pathologists. SGO members provide multidisciplinary cancer care including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, supportive care and surgery. More information on the SGO can be found at http://www.sgo.org/.
Society of Gynecologic Oncologists
CONTACT: Amy Ruth of Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, Mobile,+1-202-256-7312
Web site: http://www.sgo.org/