New HPV Test To Join Fight Against Cancer
April 22, 2011 No Comments
It is unthinkable that 300,000 women are killed every year by a largely preventable and treatable disease, but there is hope this could change in the near future.
A new diagnostic test has just joined the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the fight against cervical cancer.
This week an early detection measure, known as the “Cobas HPV Test,” was given approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Cobas is the first test capable of simultaneously detecting the main strains of HPV (strains 16 and 18, responsible for around 70% of cervical cancers) as well as other common strains.
The screening is carried out alongside other tests after a woman’s regular pap smear, and determines whether she is at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer.
Cervical cancer kills 12,000 women annually in the United States, and 300,000 worldwide, despite being largely treatable in its early stages. The vast majority of women develop the deadly cancer after contracting the sexually transmitted HPV.
More than 55 million pap smears are carried out annually in the US, according to Roche, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant that developed the Cobas test.
While this advancement may currently only effect women in developed nations, and those who can afford decent heath care, that’s still a lot of pap smears, and a lot of lives that could be saved.
Contact the author here: brianna@morningquickie.com
