Smear tests may help to detect breast and ovary cancers

New research suggests that cells collected during smear tests for cervical cancer may be useful for detecting early tumours elsewhere, such as in the ovaries and breasts.

 

Scientists say they have found tell-tale signatures in these cells linked to other cancers and say looking for these patterns could provide a warning doctors can act on.

 

Women are currently already invited for routine cervical cancer checks and after the age of 50, breast screening mammogram scans.  However, despite much research, there is still no reliable screening test for early ovarian cancer.  These tumours are often more advanced and harder to treat when they are found.

 

Cells that become cancerous often show clear early changes at the molecular level, and researchers believe they have found some smear test samples that could help identify women at increased risk of other specific cancers.

 

Research author Martin Widschwendter, Professor of Women’s Cancer at University College London, said “What we are talking about is identifying women at higher risk who might not otherwise know it.   They can then have additional cancer checks.  It’s a bit like checking blood pressure to see who is at risk of heart problems.”

 

Dr Julie Sharp from Cancer Research UK, said “Screening for cervical cancer is already an invaluable tool, so it’s interesting to see if cell samples taken through screening could be used in future to detect other cancers.

 

“However, we need further research to see how accurate this method is at detecting women

with ovarian and breast cancer.

 

“Like the authors of this research, we look forward to seeing larger trials over longer periods to establish whether cervical cells could diagnose other cancers at an earlier stage.”

 

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

 

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