New Cervical Cancer Test for Developing Countries

This is Robert Cohen with the VOA Special English Development
Report.

Researchers say more than two-hundred-thousand women a year die
from cervical cancer. These deaths are most common in developing
countries.

The main cause of cervical cancer is the human papillomavirus, or
H-P-V. This is a common virus that men or women can give each other
through sex. H-P-V may go away. But if it remains in the body, it
greatly increases the chances of cervical cancer.

The cervix is part of the female reproductive system. It is the
opening at the end of the uterus.

Cervical cancers develop slowly, usually over a period of ten or
twenty years. There are tests that can find the disease early enough
to save a woman's life. A common test is called a Pap smear.
Laboratory workers examine cells under a microscope.

But many national health systems do not have money for these
tests. In other cases, there might be cultural issues. As a result,
more than eighty percent of women who die from cervical cancer are
in poor nations.

Now a company in the United States
says it plans to create a new test for cervical cancer in developing
countries. The biotechnology company Digene says it expects research
and development to take up to five years.

The test will be based on Digene technology already approved for
use in laboratories in the United States and Europe. This technology
uses computers to examine the genetic material in cells.

The goal is a test that is fast and low cost, has ease of use and
is culturally acceptable. Women themselves might even be able to
collect the cells during their visit to a doctor. The company says
the aim is to collect cells and get the test results during the same
visit. If pre-cancerous cells are found, health workers may then
freeze them to kill them. If cancer is found, doctors may order
radiation or other treatments.

Digene notes that cervical cancer is now considered one of the
most preventable cancers in rich nations. But it is a leading cause
of cancer deaths among women in South and Central America, Africa
and Southeast Asia.

A non-profit group in Seattle, Washington, called PATH will give
more than two-million dollars to the Digene project. PATH is Program
for Appropriate Technology in Health. The money is from a program
paid for by a thirteen-million dollar gift from the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill
Moss. This is Robert Cohen.