November 29, 2007, 10:40 PM CT
Post-treatment PET scans for cervical cancer patients
Whole-body PET (positron emission tomography) scans done three months after completion of cervical cancer treatment can ensure that patients are disease-free or warn that further interventions are needed, as per a research studyat Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
"This is the first time we can say that we have a reliable test to follow cervical cancer patients after treatment," says Julie K. Schwarz, M.D., Ph.D., a Barnes-Jewish Hospital resident in the Department of Radiation Oncology. "We ask them to come back for a follow-up visit about three months after therapy is finished, and we perform a PET scan. If the scan shows a complete response to therapy, we can say with confidence that they are going to do extremely well. That's really powerful."
Schwarz and his colleagues published their study in the Nov. 21, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Without a test like PET, it can be difficult to tell whether therapy has eliminated cervical tumors, Schwarz says. That's because small tumors are hard to detect with pelvic exams, and overt symptoms, such as leg swelling, don't occur until tumors grow quite large. Furthermore, CT and MRI scans often don't differentiate tumor tissue from surrounding tissues, Pap tests can be inaccurate because of tissue changes induced by radiation treatment, and no blood test exists to detect the presence of cervical cancer.........
Posted by: Emily Read more Source
November 19, 2007, 8:30 PM CT
New HPV vaccine under study
A new vaccine against nine of the most harmful strains of human papillomavirus is under study at the Medical College of Georgia.
The vaccine, called nine-valent, is being compared with Gardasil, a quadrivalent vaccine already on the market that works against the two most deadly HPV types.
"We're testing Gardasil against three different doses of the investigational vaccine," says Dr. Daron Ferris, family medicine doctor and director of the MCG Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Center. "This study will determine the best dose of the new vaccine and whether it is safe, well-tolerated and effective in preventing HPV infection and disease compared with what's already out there".
Gardasil, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006, protects against HPV types 16 and 18, which cause about 70 percent of HPV-related cervical cancer cases, and types 6 and 11, which cause about 90 percent of genital wart cases.
The new drug could prevent infection from those four types and five other cancer-causing types, Dr. Ferris says.
"Women infected with those five types of HPV also have an increased risk of developing severe premalignant cervical disease and cervical cancer," he says. "While genital warts go away on their own in most cases, cervical premalignant lesions are less likely to disappear without therapy".........
Posted by: Emily Read more Source
October 17, 2007, 8:21 PM CT
HPV test beats Pap in detecting cervical cancer
A new study led by McGill University scientists shows that the human papillomavirus (HPV) screening test is far more accurate than the traditional Pap test in detecting cervical cancer. The first round of the Canadian Cervical Cancer Screening Trial (CCCaST), led by Dr. Eduardo Franco, Director of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology at McGill's Faculty of Medicine, concluded that the HPV test's ability to accurately detect pre-malignant lesions without generating false negatives was 94.6%, as opposed to 55.4% for the Pap test.
The results of the study, first-authored by Dr. Francos former McGill PhD student Dr. Marie-Hlne Mayrand of the Centre hospitalier de l'Universit de Montral (CHUM), with colleagues from McGill, Universit de Montral, the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Health Laboratory and McMaster University, are reported in the October 18 issue of The New England Journal (NEJM).
CCCaST is the first randomized controlled trial in North America of HPV testing as a stand-alone screening test for cervical cancer. The first round followed 10,154 women aged 30 to 69 in Montreal, Quebec and St. John's, Newfoundland who were enrolled in the study from 2002 to 2005. The study was funded by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
The study concluded that while the HPV test's sensitivity was nearly 40% greater than the Pap tests, the Pap did, however, slightly edge out HPV for accuracy on the specificity scale -- its ability to accurately detect pre-malignant lesions without generating false positives -- at 96.8% versus 94.1%.........
Posted by: Emily Read more Source
February 19, 2007, 9:05 PM CT
New test for most virulent HPV strains
A test for the two strains of human papillomavirus responsible for most cervical cancers is under study.
The molecular assay uses a cervical scraping, like that for a liquid-based Pap smear, to test for HPV types 16 and 18, responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancers, says Dr. Daron G. Ferris, family medicine doctor and director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Center at the Medical College of Georgia.
"Data from a National Cancer Institute trial shows that if you have a genital infection with HPV types 16 or 18, your chance of getting moderate to severe premalignant cervical changes or cancer is much higher than if you have one of the other types," says Dr. Ferris, a principal investigator on the national study evaluating the assay.
The NCI study followed women infected with different types of the typically slow-acting virus over 10 years. It found women infected with type 18 had a 15 percent risk of malignant or pre-malignant changes after 10 years, those with type 16 had a 20 percent increased risk while those with the 11 other strains had a collective risk of 1-2 percent.
"Clearly, there is a big difference between HPV types 16 and 18 and all the other cancer-causing strains of HPV," says Dr. Ferris.
The type-specific assay, developed by Third Wave Technologies, Inc., in Madison, Wis., is being tested along with an assay that looks for the presence of 14 types of cancer-causing HPV. A test that detects 13 types of HPV already is commercially available, so the new test could become the second non-type-specific HPV test on the market.........
Posted by: Emily Read more Source
January 30, 2007, 9:33 PM CT
Treatment For Cervical Dysplasia
Temple University Hospital's Center For Women's Health is participating in a national study to determine the safety and effectiveness of an investigational therapy for cervical dysplasia. As per the American Cancer Society, approximately 500,000 women are diagnosed with high-grade cervical dysplasia each year, with roughly 10,000 cases progressing to cervical cancer.
For numerous women afflicted with the common sexually transmitted disease known as human papillomavirus (HPV), the immune system can not prevent certain high-risk strains of the virus from causing cervical dysplasia, a common precursor to cervical cancer. "The expected widespread availability of two preventive vaccines may lower the occurence rate of HPV infection and reduce the risk of cervical cancer," said Enrigue Hernandez, The Abraham Roth Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Temple University Hospital and School of Medicine. "However, for those women already infected with HPV, and those who will become infected, there are emerging non-surgical options in development."
HPV vaccines are expected to be a significant advance in women's healthcare, but they will not protect all women from cervical cancer. "Prophylactic vaccines will probably not help the more than 350,000 women in the U.S. already infected with HPV who have moderate to severe cervical dysplasia, a premalignant condition," explained Hernandez.........
Posted by: Emily Read more Source
November 2, 2006, 5:29 PM CT
Smoking Related Cancers
There are currently about fifty million smokers in the U.S. and there are another fifty million ex-smokers. Cigarette smoking has been linked to several human malignancies. Some of these links like the relationship between smoking and lung cancer are well established. In some other cases the relationship between smoking and cancer is not very well established. However several studies have clearly shown the malignant potential of chemical substances in cigarette smoke. This article is an attempt to summarize some of the known links between cigarette smoking and caner.
Lung cancerLung cancer has a strong association with smoking. On average, smokers increase their risk of lung cancer between 5 and 10-fold compared to never smokers. Even though lung cancer can occur in non-smokers, it should be appreciated that more than 90 percent of all lung cancer patients are current or past smokers. Some sub types of lung cancer like small cell lung cancer is more strongly associated with smoking than others. There is plenty of research evidence in the literature linking lung cancer to smoking. A recent study published in the British Journal Of Medicine (Ref: BMJ 1997) concluded that the accumulated evidence support the fact secondhand exposure to cigarette smoke could lead to lung cancer. ........
Posted by: Agarwaal MD Permalink
November 1, 2006, 4:51 AM CT
HPV Test Is A Better Long-term Predictor
HPV Virus
The best initial cervical cancer screening tool for younger women is still the traditional Pap smear. However, a large Danish study has observed that for older women (age 40 and older), a test for human papillomavirus (HPV) is a much more effective way to screen for potential cancer.
The reason, report scientists in the November 1 issue of Cancer Research, is that HPV infection is both frequent and transient in younger women, and they would often test positive for HPV when no actual risk of cervical cancer existed. But, in older women, HPV infection is rarer and more persistent, putting a woman at substantial risk for the disease before changes in cervical cells, detected by Pap smears, are obvious.
"We have documented that a single HPV test can actually predict older women at risk for cervical cancer better than a single Pap smear can," said the study's senior author, Susanne Krüger Kjaer, M.D., professor and head of the Department of Virus, Hormones and Cancer at the Danish Cancer Society.
The scientists specifically observed that the absolute risk of developing cervical cancer in an older woman who tests positive for HPV is greater than 20 percent within a 10-year period. They also note that most women who test positive for HPV also test negative on a Pap smear given at the same time.........
Posted by: Emily Permalink Source
August 24, 2006, 10:12 PM CT
HIV Drug To Prevent Cervical Cancer
Scientists at the University of Manchester are in the process of developing a topical therapy against the human papilloma virus (HPV) which is responsible for pre-malignant and malignant disease of the cervix as well as other genital malignancies.
In the UK a number of thousands of women undergo surgery to remove premalignant lesions of every year. Instead they may be able to apply a simple cream or pessary to the affected area. The discovery may be even more significant in developing countries which lack surgical facilities and where HPV related cervical cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in women.
Drs Ian and Lynne Hampson at the School of Medicine's Division of Human Development and Reproduction are in the process of developing the therapy from a type of drug that is given orally to treat HIV. This protease inhibitor can selectively kill cultured HPV infected cervical cancer cells and, since it is already available as a liquid formulation, it is possible it may work by direct application to the cervix.
The research, funded by the Humane Research Trust, is would be reported in the recent issue of the journal Anti-Viral Therapy (2006; 11(6): in press) and is also being presented at the International HPV meeting in Prague on 5 September.........
Posted by: Emily Permalink Source
June 19, 2006, 9:23 PM CT
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Posted by: Janet Permalink
June 11, 2006, 11:28 AM CT
Approaches To Cervical Cancer Prevention
JHPIEGO demonstrates that a "single visit approach" using Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) is safe, acceptable, feasible and cost-effective.
Cervical cancer is the leading cause of death among women in developing countries. From December 4-7, 2005, Ministries of Health, U.S. government agencies, leading clinical experts and reproductive health professionals from the United States, Asia, Africa and Latin America will convene in Bangkok, Thailand to address cervical cancer prevention in low-resource settings.
With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Glaxo Smith Kline and Digene, JHPIEGO, an international health affiliate of The Johns Hopkins University, is sponsoring this meeting "Preventing Cervical Cancer: From Research to Practice", in collaboration with the Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine.
The Royal Thai Ministry of Public Health and JHPIEGO's President and CEO Leslie D. Mancuso, PhD, RN, FAAN, welcome an international panel of speakers, including Paul D. Blumenthal, Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Khunying Kobchitt Limpaphayom, JHPIEGO's Cervical Cancer Project Director, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and representatives from the World Health Organization. More than 100 participants from more than 15 countries will learn about innovative cervical cancer screening techniques and how to implement a high-quality, sustainable program. "JHPIEGO is honored to host this global meeting to share the proven, life-saving strategies, innovative service delivery and training approaches, as well as community mobilization and education techniques. Hopefully we'll also inspire attending countries to adopt these screening methods. On a scientific-level, we're talking about reducing the incidence of invasive cervical cancer in a cost-effective way. But on a human-level, we're talking about saving mothers, grandmothers, wives, sisters and friends," comments Dr. Mancuso.........
Posted by: Janet Permalink Source
June 10, 2006, 6:37 PM CT
FDA aaproves Cervical Cancer Vaccine
A vaccine that protects against the virus known to cause most cervical cancers was given the blessing of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel Thursday.
The vaccine, Gardasil, is expected to get full FDA approval on June 8, and the national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will then decide whether to include the vaccine in routine vaccination schedules. Gardasil, which is manufactured by Merck & Co., would then become the first vaccine to be approved for the prevention of cervical cancer.
Experts noted the development of this type of vaccine is unquestionably a good thing.
"This will be a very important advance for public health for women," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation, in Baton Rouge, La.
"It's a very positive thing. There's no negative that I can think of," echoed Dr. Nicholas Klein, director of obstetrics and gynecology at Nyack Hospital, in Nyack, N.Y. "It's a great step forward in possibly preventing cervical cancer".
There are, however, some important remaining questions.
"This can have a tremendous effect on women's health," said Dr. Daniel H. Smith, chief of the gynecologic oncology division at Hackensack University Medical Center's Cancer Center, in New Jersey. "Having said that, to me, the real issue is who should be treated, and when".........
Posted by: Emily Permalink Source
March 1, 2006, 11:16 PM CT
HPV Infection Is The Top Risk Factor For Cervical Cancer
Human papillomavirus (HPV) was found to be the main risk factor associated with increased incidence of an unusual type of cervical cancer called cervical adenocarcinoma, as per a research studyin the March 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The incidence of cervical adenocarcinoma has increased in recent years, even in countries with widespread screening programs, with incidence doubling in relation to all other cervical cancers between 1973 and 1996. HPV is a well-established cause of cervical squamous cell cancer, the most common type of cervical cancer worldwide. Prior studies have suggested HPV may also cause cervical adenocarcinoma, but those studies were small and did not provide information on the role of other factors in the development of this cancer.
To investigate the links between HPV and cervical adenocarcinoma in a multicenter, international sample of women, Xavier Castellsague, M.D., at the Institut Català d'Oncologia in Barcelona, Spain, and his colleagues conducted a pooled analysis of eight case-control studies of cervical cancer conducted in countries in Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. Women had been interviewed to determine potential risk factors for cervical cancer, and all received a pelvic examination as well as testing for HPV and cervical cancer.........
Posted by: Emily Permalink Source
December 25, 2005, 10:32 AM CTMerry Christmas To All Our Readers
Medicineworld wishes all our readers merry Christmas.
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh........
Daniel Permalink
December 19, 2005Immunotherapy for precancerous changes of the cervix
Dr. Daron G. Ferris
Immunotherapy for premalignant changes of the cervix.
Whether young women with premalignant changes of the cervix can avoid surgery by using an agent that helps the immune system target the virus responsible is under study at the Medical College of Georgia.
"Infection with human papillomavirus initiates these premalignant changes and this treatment uses that fact to target the lesions," says Dr. Daron G. Ferris, family medicine physician, colposcopist and director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Center at the Medical College of Georgia. "We are telling the immune system to go find HPV and eliminate it. When the immune system attacks the HPV, it also attacks the premalignant changes".
Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the country and the major cause of cervical cancer, Dr. Ferris says. Strains that cause cervical cancer get inside cells in the cervix and slowly change them. "In the beginning, women commonly have mild premalignant changes. The good news is, most of the time, these mild changes go away on their own. About 70 percent of the time, we don't have to do any therapy other than following patients closely," Dr. Ferris says.
Unfortunately, cells may also develop moderate to severe changes called cervical dysplasia. "These are true cancer precursors. There is a 30 to 50 percent chance that severe dysplasia will progress to cancer if they are not treated," Dr. Ferris says.
An abnormal Pap smear detects such abnormalities and colposcopy, a technique for examining the cervix for signs of premalignant or malignant cellular changes, typically is performed in follow up. Tests also may be performed to detect the 13 oncogenic strains of HPV.
Patients who have cervical dysplasia may get one of several surgical approaches to remove affected cells and adjacent tissue. "We want to make sure there is only normal, healthy, unexposed skin left after surgery so that when the woman heals, there is no disease left behind," Dr. Ferris says. These approaches, which are 90 percent to 95 percent effective, require removing some of the cervix's mucus-secreting tissue, which can reduce fertility and increase chances of premature delivery.........
Emily Permalink
Gene silencing therapy for cervical cancer (November 18, 2005)
Single-visit Program For Cervical Cancer Screening Increases Rate Of Follow-u (November 10, 2005)
Vaccine Will Help Protect Women Against Cervical Cancer (November 7, 2005)
Cervival cancer vaccine shown to be highly effective (October 6, 2005)
Smoking and viruses increases the risk in cervical cancer patients (September 9, 2005)
Cervical cancer vaccine expected in a few years (February 2, 2005)
