Study Favours DNA Testing for Early Detection of Cervical Cancer

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Cervical cancer, normally detected by conducting a pap smear (scrapping of cells from the cervix), produces abnormal cells before being full-blown. These cell lesions are what doctors track down to determine if a woman is at risk of developing the cancer.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) – or genital warts, a sexually transmitted infection, is the main cause of cervical cancer. According to Health Canada, it is responsible for 70 per cent of cases.

“HPV is often a 'silent' infection, because many people with HPV will have no obvious signs of infection. Sometimes warts can be present but may not be visible if they are inside your body or if they are on the skin but are too small to be seen,” indicates Health Canada.

The study, conducted with 17,000 Dutch women ages 29 to 56, spanned over five years. Results determined that DNA screening helped detect 50 per cent more of the potentially precancerous lesions.

According to the researchers, using DNA testing as the main method of detection could mean “fewer screenings for women and ensure that they receive earlier treatment for lesions that might lead to cancer, they said in the journal Lancet,” explains a Reuters article.

"On the basis of this data, we suggest that the current screening interval of five years could be extended by at least one year," the researchers said in a statement, quotes Reuters. "The extension will be advantageous to women because of a reduction in the lifetime number of screening tests and referrals."

Cervical cancer is responsible for between one and two per cent of all cancer fatalities affecting women in Canada and the US, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Canada’s Public Health Agency’s 2007 Canadian Cancer Statistics report.

Reuters also says that the tumours kill approximately 300,000 women each year, mostly in developing countries. Merck and Co's. Gardasil and GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix are two vaccines which have been approved for human use to protect women against HPV infection.

Certain jurisdictions have considered or implemented vaccination of high school students, against the infection – such as the province of Ontario, in Canada.